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MISS    DOROTHEA    L.    DIX. 
(From   a  painting  in  the  possession   of  the  Nova   Scotia  Hospital.) 


THE  INSTITUTIONAL  CARE 
OF  THE  INSANE 

IN    THE 

UNITED  STATES  AND  CANADA 


BY 

HENRY  M.  HURD,  WILLIAM  F.  DREWRY,  RICHARD  DEWEY, 

CHARLES  W.  PILGRIM,  G.  ALDER  BLUMER 

AND  T.  J.  W.  BURGESS 

EDITED  BY 

HENRY  M.  HURD,  M.D.,  LL.D. 

Emeritus  Professor  of  Psychiatry,  The  Johns  Hopkins  University; 

formerly  Medical  Superintendent  of  the  Pontiac  State 

Hospital;  Secretary,  The  Johns  Hopkins  Hospital 


VOLUME   IV 

ILLUSTRATED 


THE  JOHNS  HOPKINS  PRESS 

BALTIMORE,  MD. 

1917 


BALTIMORE,   MD.,  V.  S.  A. 


CONTEXTS. 
ALBERTA. 

PAGE 

Insane  Asylum.   Ponoka   3 

BRITISH  COLUMBIA. 

Public  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  New  Westminster 8 

British  Columbia  Mental  Hospital,  Essondale  Point,  Coquitlam 22 

MANITOBA. 

The  Care  of  the  Insane  in  Manitoba 26 

Selkirk  Asylum,  Selkirk   28 

Brandon  Asylum,  Brandon  ^2 

Home  for  Incurables,  Portage  la  Prairie 34 

NEW  BRUNSWICK. 

Provincial  Hospital,  St.  John ^7 

Appendix  A  63 

Appendix  B   92 

Appendix  C loi 

NOVA  SCOTIA. 

Nova  Scotia  Hospital.  Halifax 102 

Appendix  B   1 19 

ONTARIO. 

The  Care  of  the  Insane  in  Ontario 120 

Toronto  Asylum  and  Its  Branches 129 

Reception  Hospital,  Toronto   146 

Kingston  Asylum  147 

London  Asylum    1:7 

Hamilton  Asylum    163 

Mimico  Asylum    ig.^ 

Hospital  for  Insane,  Brockville 174 

Cobourg  Asylum    179 

Penetanguishene   Asylum    181 

Whitby  Hospital  183 

Orillia  Asylum    187 

Hospital  for  Epileptics,  Woodstock 193 

Homewood  Retreat  195 

Simcoe  Hall  Sanitarium.  Barrie 198 

Appendix  A 199 


IV  CONTENTS 

PRINCE  EDWARD  ISLAND.  ^^^^ 

Falconwood  Hospital 203 

SASKATCHEWAN. 

The  Care  of  the  Insane  in  Saskatchewan 219 

YUKON  AND  NORTHWEST  TERRITORIES. 

The  Care  of  the  Insane  in  Yukon  and  Northwest  Territories 228 

QUEBEC. 

The  Care  of  the  Insane  in  Quebec 237 

Beauport   Asylum    256 

St  Johns  Asylum  270 

Longue  Pointe  Asylum  274 

St.  Julien  Asylum 288 

St.  Anne's  Hospital,  St.  Paul's  Bay 289 

Protestant  Hospital  for  the  Insane 293 

St.  Benedict  Joseph  Asylum 327 

NEWFOUNDLAND. 

The  Care  of  the  Insane  in  Newfoundland 332 

BIOGRAPHIES  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Dr.  George  S.  Adams 337 

Dr.  George  Allen  337 

Dr.  Henry  E.   Allison 338 

Dr.  Judson  Boardman  Andrews 340 

Dr.  William  Maclay  Awl 342 

Dr.  Robert  F.  Baldwin   343 

Dr.  Jesse  P.  Bancroft 345 

Dr.  Randolph  Barksdale   347 

Dr.  James   Bates    34^ 

Dr.  John  Alfred  Beauchamp 349 

Dr.  Theodric  Romeyn  Beck 35° 

Dr.  Brooks  Ford  Beebe 35i 

Dr.  Luther   Vose   Bell 352 

Dr.  John  Merrick  Bemis 353 

Dr.  Merrick  Bemis   354 

Dr.  Nathan  D.  Benedict 356 

Dr.  Harvey  Black   356 

Dr.  I.  W.  Blackburn 358 

Dr.  Benjamin  Blackford   359 

Dr.  Chauncey  Booth  360 

Dr.  Amariah  Brigham   360 

Dr.  Daniel  Roberts  Brower   362 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Dr.  D.    Tilden   Brown 363 

Dr.  John  Peaslee  Brown 364 

Dr.  Peter  Bryce  366 

Dr.  Dwight  R.  Burrell  367 

Cyrus  Butler   368 

Dr.  John  S.  Butler 368 

Dr.  H.  A.  Buttolph 370 

Dr.  Alfred  B.  Cabaniss  372 

Dr.  John  H.  Callender 372 

Dr.  Eugene  Grove  Carpenter  2,y2 

Dr.  George  C.   Catlett 374 

Dr.  George  Chandler   375 

Dr.  William  S.  Chipley   376 

Dr.  Joseph  Manning  Cleaveland  377 

Dr.  George  Cook  379 

Dr.  George  F.  Cook 380 

Oscar  Craig  381 

Dr.  John  Curwen  382 

Dr.  Nehemiah  Cutter  384 

Dr.  Emmet  C.  Dent ^ 384 

Dr.  Oliver  M.  Dewing  385 

Dr.  Joseph   Draper 386 

Alexander  Duncan  387 

Dr.  Robert  J.  Dysart  387 

Dr.  Pliny  Earle 388 

Dr.  Bernard  D.  Eastman  390 

Dr.  William  Milan  Edwards   391 

Dr.  Edward  Pierson  Elliot 392 

Dr.  Jeremiah  Thomas  Eskridge  393 

Dr.  Orpheus  Everts    394 

Dr.  Matthew  Dickinson  Field  395 

Dr.  Leander  Firestone  396 

Dr.  Edward   Carrington  Fisher    397 

Dr.  Theodore  Willis  Frsher  398 

Dr.  Austin  Flint  399 

Dr.  Charles  Follin  Folsom  401 

Dr.  John  Fonerden   403 

Dr.  George  W.  Foster  404 

Dr.  Francis  Taylor  Fuller 405 

Dr.  Silas  Fuller   406 

Dr.  R.  H.  Gale  406 

Dr.  Alexander  D.  Gait 407 

Dr.  John  Minson  Gait  408 

Dr.  John  M.  Gait,  Jr 408 

Dr.  Charles  Frederick  Gilliam    410 

Dr.  Henry  Artemus  Gilman 411 


Vlll  CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Dr.  Jamin  Strong 514 

Dr.  Selden  Haines  Talcott 515 

Dr.  H.  A.  Tobey '  ^  . . ! !  ^  516 

Dr.  Eli  Todd  516 

Dr.  Harry  Ashton  Tomlinson  519 

Dr.  John  Eugene  Tyler  520 

Dr.  Charles  E.  Van  Anden 521 

Dr.  Edwin  Holmes  Van  Deusen 522 

Dr.  Clement  A.  Walker 523 

Dr.  D.  R.  Wallace  525 

Dr.  Joseph  T.  Webb  526 

Dr.  James  N.  Whitaker  526 

Dr.  Samuel  White  527 

Dr.  Hervey  Backus  Wilbur  528 

Dr.  James  Warren  Wilkie  528 

Dr.  E.  T.  Wilkins  529 

Frederick  Howard  W^ines  531 

Dr.  Frederic  C.  Winslow  534 

Dr.  Peter  M.  Wise  535 

Dr.  Abram  Harman  Witmer  536 

Dr.  H.  Walton  Wood 537 

Dr.  Samuel  Bayard  Woodward  538 

Dr.  William  Leonard  Worcester 539 

Dr.  Joshua  Husband  Worthington 540 

Dr.  Charles  E.  Wright  54i 

Dr.  Rufus  Wyman 542 

BIOGRAPHIES  IN  CANADA  AND  NEWFOUNDLAND. 

Charles  Alexander  547 

Dr.  J.  J.  Anderson   548 

Dr.  John  Ardagh  548 

Hugh  Bell 549 

Dr.  George  Fowler  Bodington    550 

Edward  L.  Bond   552 

The  Right  Reverend  William  Bennett  Bond 552 

Jonathan   Brown    554 

Dr.  H.  E.  Buchan  555 

Dr.  Richard  Maurice  Bucke  555 

George  Bull  Burland    558 

Dr.  Daniel  Dark   559 

Dr.  James  Ratchford  DeWolf    561 

Dr.  John  Robinson  Dickson  562 

Dr.  James  Douglas   562 

Dr.  E.  Evariste  Duquet  566 

L'Abbe  A.  Fafard   567 

Samuel  Finley  S09 


CONTENTS  ix 


PAGR 

Dr.  Jacques  Fremont   569 

Dr.  George  A.  Hetherington  570 

Dr.  Charles  Erastus  Hickey 570 

Dr.  Henry  Howard  571 

Dr.  Henry  Landor 572 

John  Woodburn  Langmuir  573 

Dr.  Stephen  Lett   574 

Peter  Lyall  575 

Dr.  John  Mackieson   576 

George  Matthew  576 

Dr.  Thomas  R.  Mclnnes  577 

Dr.  W.  G.  Metcalf 578 

Dr.  Thomas  J.  Moher  579 

Dr.  Alfred  Morin 580 

Dr.  Joseph   Morrin    580 

Dr.  John  Bernard  Murphy 581 

Dr.  George  Hamilton  Park   581 

Alfred  Perry  582 

Dr.  George  P.  Peters  584 

Dr.  William  Rees 584 

Dr.  Thomas  W.  Reynolds  587 

Dr.  John  Scott 588 

Dr.  James  A.  Sivewright   588 

Dr.  Henry  Hunt  Stabb  589 

Dr.  James  Thomas  Steeves 590 

Dr.  Walter  Telfer  591 

Sister  Therese  de  Jesus 592 

Francis  Wolferstan  Thomas   593 

Dr.  Arthur  Vallee  594 

Dr.  John  Waddell   595 

Dr.  James  McLaren  Wallace  596 

Dr.  John  Wanless   596 

Hon.  J.  K.  Ward,  M.  L.  A 597 

James  Wilson   598 

Dr.  Benjamin  Workman  598 

Dr.  Joseph  Workman  599 

ADDENDA. 

Michigan  Home  and  Training  School 6or 

Morningside  Hospital,  Portland,  Ore 602 

Dr.  Cyrus  K.  Bartlett 603 

Dr.  Philo  O.  Hooper 603 

Dr.  Geo.  F.  Keene 604 

West  Virginia,  Changes  in  Names  of  State  Institutions 605 

Index  607 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

Miss  Dorothea  L.  Dix Frontispiece 

Portion  of  Main  Building,  Nova  Scotia  Hospital 102 

Rockwood  Hospital,  Kingston,  Ont.,   1862 150 

London  Asylum  from  the  South,   1877 158 

Hospital   Building,   London   Asylum,    1913 162 

Main   Building,   Hamilton,    1915 166 

Orchard   House,   Hamilton,    1915 168 

General  View,  Brockville  Hospital 176 

Main  Building,  Cobourg  180 

Main    Building    from    Bowling    Green.    Hospital    for    Insane,    Pene- 

tanguishene    182 

Main   Building  and  Employees'  Cottages  from  the  Bay,   Penetangui- 

shene    184 

Key  Plan  showing  Hospital  and  Farm,  Whitby,  Ont 186 

Main  Building,  Orillia,  Present  Day 190 

Cottages,   Woodstock    194 

Quebec  Lunatic  Asylum   in   1850 238 

The  Quebec  General  Hospital  on  the  Site  of  the  Recollet  Monastery.  . .  246 

The   Grey  Nunnery,    Montreal 252 

Beauport  Asylum   in    1877 256 

Architect's  Design  of  Longue  Pointe  Asylum,  Opened  1875 276 

General  View  of  the  Ruins  of  Longue  Pointe  Asylum  the  Day  After 

the    Fire    284 

Longue  Pointe  Asylum,  St.  Jean  de  Dieu  Hospital,  Montreal,  Quebec. .  286 

Ste.  Anne  de  la  Bois,  St.  Paul  Asylum 290 

General  View  of  Main  Building,  Verdun  Hospital 300 

Entrance  Lodge,  Verdun  Hospital    308 

Infirmary,  Verdun  Hospital   316 

West  House  (originally  "  The  Annex  "),  Verdun  Hospital 324 

St.  Benedict  Joseph  Asylum 330 

Dr.  George  S.  Adams 338 

Dr.  J.  B.  Andrews 354 

Dr.  Randolph  Barksdale   354 

Dr.  Merrick  Bemis 354 

Dr.  H.  A.  Buttolph. 354 

Dr.  Joseph  Manning  Cleaveland 378 

Dr.  E.  C.  Dent  390 

Dr.  B.  D.  Eastman 390 

Dr.  J.  P.  Gray 39° 

Dr.  P.  O.  Hooper 390 


XU  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Dr.  Matthew  D.  Field 394 

Dr.  G.  F.  Keene 438 

Dr.   E.    A.   Kilbourne 438 

Dr.  G.  H.  Rohe 438 

Dr.  Alexander  E.  Macdonald 45o 

Dr.  J.  G.  Park 470 

Moses    Sheppard    500 

Dr.  Selden  Haines  Talcott  516 

Frederick  Howard  Wines    534 

Hugh  Bell    550 

Dr.  J.  A.   Sivewright 552 

Dr.  G.  F.  Bodington 552 

Dr.   James   R.    DeWolf 560 

Dr.  James  Douglas   564 

L'Abbe  A.  Faf ard  568 

Alfred  Perry  568 

Dr.  John  Wanless  568 

Dr.  John  Waddell   570 

Dr.  J.  T.  Steeves  570 

Dr.  G.  A.  Hetherington  570 

Dr.  John  Mackieson  570 

J.  W.  Langmuir   574 

Dr.  Daniel  Clark   574 

Dr.  J.  McL.  Wallace 588 

Dr.  T.  W.  Reynolds   588 

Dr.  Joseph  Workman 600 

Dr.  C.  K.  Bartlett 602 

Map  of  the  United  States  and  Canada End  of  Volume 


PART  IV 

PROVINCIAL,  CORPORATE  AND 

PRIVATE  INSTITUTIONS 

IN  CANADA 


THE  CARE  OF  THE  INSANE  IN  ALBERTA. 

INSANE  ASYLUM. 
PONOKA. 

Prior  to  its  organization  as  a  separate  province,  ist  September, 
1905,  Alberta  formed  a  part  of  the  Northwest  Territory,  and,  by 
special  arrangement  with  the  Dominion  Government,  all  cases  of 
insanity  occurring  therein  were  cared  for  in  the  provincial  asylums 
of  Manitoba,  the  rate  paid  by  the  federal  government  for  their 
keep  being  one  dollar  per  day  each.  On  its  conversion  into  a  sep- 
arate entity,  the  attention  of  the  government  was  soon  turned 
toward  the  necessity  for  the  creation  of  an  establishment  for  the 
custody  of  the  insane,  not  only  for  those  then  interned  in  Mani- 
toban  institutions,  but  for  the  care  and  treatment  of  future  cases 
that  were  to  be  looked  for. 

The  result  was  the  passage  in  1907  of  an  act  entitled  the  "  Insan- 
ity Act,"^  which  gave  the  Lieutenant-Governor  in  Council  power 
to  build  an  asylum  or  to  lease  any  building  for  temporary  use  until 
a  proper  asylum  was  established.  The  act  further  provided  that 
until  provision  for  their  care  within  the  province  was  made 
insane  persons  were  to  be  sent  to  an  asylum  in  Manitoba,  or  some 
other  province,  at  a  rate  to  be  mutually  agreed  upon.  Treaty 
Indians  were  not  to  be  removed  to  an  asylum  unless  the  expense 
of  their  maintenance  was  guaranteed  by  the  Superintendent- 
General  of  Indian  Affairs  for  the  Dominion  Government.  The 
insane  and  their  affairs  were  placed  in  charge  of  the  Department 
of  the  Attorney-General.^ 

The  former  course  was  decided  upon,  and,  after  considerable 
discussion,  a  site  was  finally  chosen,  about  one  and  three-quarter 
miles  from  Ponoka,  a  town  located  upon  the  Canadian  Pacific 
Railway,  between  the  cities  of  Calgary  and  Edmonton,  the  latter 
of  which  had  been  constituted  the  capital  of  the  newly  fledged 

^  Statutes  of  Alberta,  7th  ed.,  VII,  Cap.  7. 

'  This  clause  was  subsequently  amended  so  that  the  care  of  these  unfor- 
tunates was  relegated  to  the  Department  of  the  Hon.  Provincial  Secretary. 


4  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

province.  It  consisted  of  800  acres  of  land  running  along  what 
had  formerly  been  the  old  Hudson's  Bay  Company  trail  between 
these  two  places. 

Work  was  begun  August  i,  1908,  from  plans  prepared  by  A.  M. 
Jeffers,  Provincial  Architect,  and  ere  the  close  of  the  building 
season  substantial  progress  had  been  made. 

In  its  general  layout  the  plan  of  the  building  was  based  on  the 
acute  hospital  building  at  Utica,  N.  Y.,  on  information  secured 
from  the  architect's  department  of  that  state,  the  only  important 
change  made  being  that  special  rooms  for  uncleanly  patients  were 
placed  at  the  outside  ends  of  the  large  dormitories,  terminating 
the  corridors,  in  order  to  minimize  the  discomfort  caused  by  this 
class  of  patients  to  others  when  congregated  with  them. 

On  account  of  its  isolated  location,  and  the  consequent  lack  of 
fire  protection  from  outside  sources,  it  was  decided  to  build 
entirely  of  fireproof  materials.  The  tenders  accepted,  therefore, 
called  for  a  building  with  stone  and  brick  masonry  walls,  Calgary 
sandstone  being  the  stone  used ;  steel,  concrete  and  terra  cotta 
block  construction  and  plaster  trim.  The  heating  was  arranged 
under  two  systems,  viz. :  a  warm-air  blower  system  for  private 
rooms,  and  direct  steam  radiation,  controlled  by  thermostats,  at 
exposed  points  in  day-rooms,  dormitories,  corridors,  etc.  Provi- 
sion was  also  made  for  electric  lighting  and  fire-alarm  systems. 

The  general  design  of  the  building  is  that  of  a  cross,  composed 
of  a  central  administration  building,  139  feet  long  by  45  feet  wide, 
flanked  on  each  side  by  wings  for  the  patients,  each  95  feet  long 
by  42  feet  wide.  All  portions  of  the  edifice  are  three  stories  high, 
with  basement  extending  under  the  entire  structure. 

The  ground  floor  of  the  administration  building  contains,  in 
front,  offices  for  the  superintendent,  bursar  and  matron,  reception 
room,  and  officers'  and  nurses'  dining  rooms ;  in  the  rear,  two 
congregate  dining  rooms  for  patients,  each  20  feet  wide  by  32 
feet  long,  the  partition  separating  them  being  movable  so  that 
the  two  rooms  can  be  made  into  an  assembly  hall,  40  x  64  feet. 
Behind  the  dining  rooms  is  located  a  service  room,  and  back  of  that 
the  kitchen,  with  refrigerator. 

In  the  front  part  of  the  administration  building,  on  the  second 
floor,  are  quarters  for  the  medical  officers,  matron,  and  female 
trained  nurses,  while  in  the  rear  portion  are  special  treatment 


ALBERTA  5 

rooms  for  massage,  electrotherapy  and  hydrotherapy ;  also  linen 
rooms,  etc. 

On  the  third  floor,  in  front,  are  quarters  for  male  and  female 
nurses,  while  the  rear  part  of  the  flat  is  adapted  for  infirmary 
purposes,  provision  being  made  for  male  and  female  patients, 
with  operating  room,  etc. 

The  wings,  one  for  men  and  the  other  for  women,  consist  of 
longitudinal  corridors,  opening  ofif  which,  at  the  rear,  are  work 
rooms,  sitting  rooms,  and  sleeping  rooms.  At  the  end  of  each 
corridor  is  a  large  day  room,  having  a  fireplace  and  bay  windows. 
On  each  side  of  the  administration  building,  at  the  ends  of  the 
corridors,  are  fireproof  staircases,  with  fire  doors  opening  onto 
them  from  each  flat.  Similar  staircases  are  located  at  the  outer 
ends  of  the  wings.  Paralleling  each  corridor,  in  front,  on  the 
several  flats,  is  a  sun-porch,  12  feet  wide  by  33  feet  long,  which 
affords  outdoor  exercise  during  unfavorable  weather. 

In  the  center  of  the  building,  opening  oiif  the  cross  corridor 
which  separates  the  front  and  rear  portions  of  the  administration 
building,  is  a  combined  passenger  and  freight  elevator  large 
enough  to  accommodate  a  sick  patient  lying  at  full  length  on  a 
portable  bed  or  stretcher. 

In  an  isolated  power  house,  joined  to  the  center  building  by  a 
tunnel,  is  generated  high-pressure  steam  for  the  driving  of  an 
engine  which  is  directly  connected  to  a  current  generator.  This 
furnishes  electricity  for  lighting  the  buildings  and  grounds,  opera- 
ting the  elevator,  laundry  equipment,  and  water  supply  pumps, 
and  for  the  electric  treatment  apparatus.  Steam,  under  high 
pressure,  is  also  supplied  to  the  laundry  for  water  heating  pur- 
poses, and  to  the  kitchen  for  cooking  purposes. 

The  laundry  was  originally  designed  to  be  located  in  the 
basement  of  the  center  building,  where  also  is  installed  a  warm- 
air  heating  and  ventilating  plant.  Here,  outside  air  is  introduced 
into  a  warming  chamber  (heated  by  steam)  and  forced  by  a 
motor-driven  fan  through  a  water  spray  to  cleanse  and  humidify 
it,  after  which  it  is  distributed  to  the  various  outlets.^  Later, 
however,  it  was  decided  that,  instead  of  the  laundry  being  placed 
in  the  basement  of  the  administration  building,  it  should  form 

'  Annual  report  Department  of  Public  Works,  1908. 


b  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE    OF    THE   INSANE 

a  part  of  the  power  house,  which  was  made  larger  than  originally 
designed  for  that  purpose.  This  work  was  completed  in  1910,  as 
was  also  the  erection  of  a  water  tower  with  a  tank  of  80,000 
gallons  capacity,  raised  to  a  height  of  130  feet,  as  a  reserve  water 
supply  for  fire  protection.  The  water  supply  is  obtained  from  a 
well  200  feet  deep  located  in  the  boiler  room.  From  this  the  water 
is  lifted  into  the  tower  by  a  deep- well  steam  pump.  To  treat 
sewage  before  being  discharged  into  a  neighboring  stream,  about 
half  a  mile  from  the  institution,  a  series  of  concrete  live-earth  beds 
were  constructed  and  covered  with  a  neat  frame  building. 

On  account  of  the  unsatisfactory  nature  of  the  subsoil,  all  the 
various  structures  connected  with  the  establishment,  with  the 
exception  of  the  live-earth  beds,  rest  on  pile  foundations,  driven  to 
a  depth  of  25  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  ground.^ 

Externally  the  building  presents  a  substantial  appearance,  with 
rock-faced,  coarse  sandstone  basement,  supporting  the  three-story 
brick  structure  above,  the  main  entrance  porch  and  the  porches 
of  the  wings  relieving  the  uniformity  of  the  brickwork.  The 
structure  is  finished  with  a  high  cement  plaster  frieze  of  a  buflF 
color,  and  a  large  overhanging  cornice  supported  by  heavy 
brackets,  the  whole  topped  with  a  low-pitched  roof. 

Early  in  1911  the  Hon.  A.  J.  McLean,  Provincial  Secretary  of 
the  Province,  made  an  extended  inspection  of  various  asylums  m 
Canada  and  the  United  States  with  a  view  to  securing  the  most 
efficient  administration  of  the  Ponoka  institution,  which  was 
opened  for  the  admission  of  patients  on  July  4th  of  the  same  year, 
the  first  patient,  a  woman,  being  received  on  that  date.  Dr.  T. 
Dawson,  medical  health  officer  of  the  City  of  Calgary,  had  been 
appointed  medical  superintendent,  assuming  duty  as  such  in  April. 

On  July  24th  164  patients — 108  men  and  56  women — all  prac- 
tically chronic  and  incurable  cases,  but  former  residents  of  Alberta, 
were  transferred  from  Brandon  Asylum,  Manitoba,  to  the  new 
establishment.  During  the  same  month  16  new  cases  were  re- 
ceived, which  number,  before  the  close  of  the  year,  was  increased 
to  52. 

In  his  first  annual  report  the  superintendent  deplores  the  un- 
necessary delay  shown  in  the  sending  of  recent  cases  to  the  hospital, 
stating  that  pending  a  report  of  the  Attorney-General  many  were 

'  Annual  report  Department  of  Public  Works,  1910. 


ALBERTA  7 

detained  in  the  barracks,  where  the  accommodation  for  their 
proper  care  and  treatment  was  insufficient ;  he  also  states  that  they 
had  not  yet  inaugurated  any  outside  sports,  except  football,  from 
which  even  the  female  patients  got  considerable  amusement,  but 
hoped  to  do  so  in  the  coming  summer.  The  erection  of  a  mortuary 
was  also  urged,  and  the  suggestion  made  that  a  post-mortem  and 
pathological  room  should  be  attached  to  it,  "  where  each  body 
could  be  examined  and  the  cause  of  death  verified,  thereby  creating 
an  interest  in  the  work,  and  where  in  time  pathological  research 
work  could  be  done."  ^ 

Owing  to  the  rapidly  growing  population  of  the  province,  the 
demands  for  admission  to  the  asylum  became  so  great  that  it  was 
found  necessary  to  start,  almost  immediately,  the  construction  of 
an  additional  building  for  men,  143  feet  long  and  61  feet  wide, 
with  an  extension  of  19  feet  by  23  feet,  four  stories  in  height, 
including  a  basement  in  which  were  located  work  and  recreation 
rooms.  The  ground  and  first  floors  were  designed  for  the  use  of 
patients,  while  the  top  floor  provided  accommodation  for  farm 
hands  and  other  outside  employees.  This  work,  begun  in  August, 
1911,  was  completed  in  1912.  At  the  same  time  two  six-roomed 
brick  cottages  were  erected  as  residences  for  the  medical  superin- 
tendent and  the  bursar.'  The  construction  of  an  additional  build- 
ing for  females  is  now  being  entered  upon. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  1913  the  number  of  patients  in  residence 
was  287,  viz.,  201  men  and  86  women,  the  capacity  of  the  institution 
being  about  400. 

Estimating  the  population  of  the  province  at  415,000,  the  number 
of  insane  in  hospital  residence  would  be  about  i  in  1445,  a  remark- 
ably small  showing  when  compared  with  older  countries,  especially 
if  we  take  into  consideration  the  hardships  incident  to  pioneer  life. 

*  Report  of  the  medical  superintendent  in  annual  report  of  Department  of 
the  Provincial  Secretary,  191 1. 
'Annual  reports  of  Department  of  Public  Works,  191 1  and  1912, 


THE  CARE  OF  THE  INSANE  IN  BRITISH  COLUMBIA. 

PUBLIC  HOSPITAL  FOR  THE  INSANE. 

New  Westminster. 

Insanity  among  the  Pacific  Coast  aborigines  seems  to  have  been 
much  less  common  than  among  those  of  the  Atlantic  seaboard, 
as  gauged  by  the  "  Jesuit  Relations."  The  only  authenticated 
case  referred  to  in  collections  of  Northwest  Americana  is  that  of 
Tootoosch,  a  brother-in-law  of  Maquina,  chief  of  the  Nootka 
Sound  Indians.  For  this  we  are  indebted  to  a  work  called  "  A 
Narrative  of  the  Adventures  and  Sufferings  of  John  R.  Jewitt; 
Only  Survivor  of  the  Crew  of  the  Ship  Boston,  During  a  Captivity 
of  Nearly  Three  Years  Among  the  Savages  of  Nootka  Sound." 
It  is  commonly  cited  as  "  Jewitt's  Narrative "  and  there  are 
several  editions  of  it,  one  of  the  earliest  being  that  published  in 
New  York  in  i8i6.^ 

At  the  present  date  there  are  20  Indian  patients  resident  in  the 
hospital  out  of  52  who  have  been  received  since  its  inception. 

In  the  early  days  of  British  Columbia,  lunatics  (few  and  far 
between  at  that  time)  were  placed  in  the  colonial  jail,  in  Victoria. 
Dr.  J.  S.  Helmcken  (afterward  M.  P.  P.,  and  Speaker  of  the 
House)  was  the  first  physician  in  the  province  to  come  in  official 
contact  with  the  insane,  by  virtue  of  his  position  as  jail  surgeon 
for  a  period  of  over  50  years. 

The  earliest  record  obtainable  of  an  insane  person  on  the  Coast 
dates  back  to  the  year  1850,  when  a  young  Scotch  immigrant 
became  deranged  soon  after  his  arrival.  He  was  sent  home  on  a 
sailing  vessel,  and,  as  was  subsequently  learned,  he  recovered. 

Cases  were  less  rare  during  the  rush  to  the  Cariboo  gold  fields, 
and  during  the  years  1858  and  1859  many  new-comers  broke  down 
under  the  mental  strain  and  hardships  endured,  and  had  to  be 
taken  charge  of  by  the  authorities.  There  were  then  no  towns 
upon  the  mainland  ;  Victoria,  which  was  a  Hudsons'  Bay  Company 
post,  was  the  outfitting  depot  for  the  gold  fields,  and  all  persons 

'  See  "  Insanity  Among  the  Indians,"  Vol.  I,  Chap.  XI,  p.  393. 


BRITISH    COLUMBIA  9 

entering  into  and  passing  out  of  the  country  by  the  regular  route 
must  needs  go  there,  the  bulk  of  them  coming  via  San  Francisco. 
It  was  owing  to  this  that  the  authorities  began  to  send  the  insane 
back  to  California,  where  were  the  nearest  asylums.  There  they 
were  committed  to  one  of  the  institutions  belonging  to  that  state. 
This  went  very  well  for  a  time  until  the  Americans  gave  the  gov- 
ernment to  understand  that  the  practice  could  not  continue,  but  that 
if  British  Columbia  were  willing  to  pay  for  these  patients  some 
arrangement  might  be  made.  This  suggestion,  however,  was  not 
acted  upon,  and  the  insane  were  kept  in  the  jail  at  Victoria,  until  it 
became  too  full  to  hold  any  more.  Then,  as  more  violent  and 
urgent  cases  presented  themselves,  the  more  manageable  ones  were 
sent  to  the  Royal  Hospital. 

The  jail  of  those  days  was  not  large,  containing  only  lo  or  12 
cells.  It  was  of  hewn  logs  at  first,  but  some  years  later  a  brick 
administrative  building,  two  stories  in  height,  was  erected  in 
front  of  it.  The  site  was  the  same  as  that  now  occupied  by  the  Law 
Courts  on  Bastion  Street. 

The  Royal  Hospital,  for  men  only,  was  a  wooden  building 
situated  upon  the  Songhees  Indian  Reserve,  opposite  the  city.  It 
had  been  originally  built  for  a  smallpox  hospital,  then  added  to 
and  used  as  a  general  hospital. 

So  long  as  the  patients  were  of  the  male  sex  the  jail  and  Royal 
Hospital  served  for  asylum  purposes  fairly  well,  but  when  female 
patients  began  to  appear  it  was  evident  that  something  further 
would  have  to  be  done.  Under  these  circumstances  the  ladies  of 
Victoria  opened  a  women's  hospital  on  Pandora  Street.  This, 
however,  soon  fell  into  financial  difficulties  and  it  was  suggested 
that  it  and  the  Royal  Hospital  should  be  amalgamated,  on  condition 
that  a  ward  was  kept  open  for  women.  It  was  so  arranged  and  the 
building  of  the  Royal  Hospital  vacated  in  favor  of  that  on  Pandora 
Street. 

In  1872  two  insane  female  patients  came  under  the  notice  of 
Dr.  I.  W.  Powell,  and  he  suggested  to  the  government  that  the 
old  Royal  Hospital,  previously  vacated,  should  be  remodeled  and 
made  into  an  asylum  proper.  This  was  done,  and  on  October  12 
of  that  year  the  remodeled  building  was  opened  as  the  first 
provincial  asylum,  which  function  it  was  destined  to  fill  for  the 
space  of  five  and  a  half  years.     The  Provincial  Secretary  took 


lO  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

charge  of  the  new  institution,  and  its  management  has  been  under 
his  department  ever  since. 

The  building  was  a  simple  structure  of  modest  appearance, 
about  50  feet  by  40  feet,  and  had  an  upper  story,  the  whole  being 
of  wood  and  whitewashed.  A  door  from  the  upper  story  led  out 
upon  a  balcony,  from  which  was  a  fine  view  of  the  harbor. 
Altogether,  the  situation  was  a  pleasant  one.  Inside,  the  building 
was  somewhat  rearranged,  every  available  space  being  converted 
into  cells  or  very  small  single  rooms. 

On  the  opening  day  seven  patients  were  admitted,  among  them 
the  two  women  referred  to,  who,  by  the  way,  were  sisters ;  still 
another  sister  was  admitted  two  days  later.  Dr.  I.  W.  Powell  was 
appointed  medical  superintendent,  but,  like  several  of  his  suc- 
cessors, was  non-resident,  while  E.  A.  Sharpe  was  made  "  super- 
intendent of  the  asylum,"  and  Mrs.  Flora  Ross,  matron,  a  position 
she  continued  to  hold  up  to  her  death  in  November,  1897.  There 
were  three  "  keepers  "  or  male  attendants,  a  cook  and  an  Indian 
wash-woman.  In  fact,  there  were  almost  as  many  employees  as 
patients. 

The  records  for  the  year  show  18  admissions,  one  recovery,  and 
one  death. 

Crude  as  things  must  have  been  in  this  embryo  asylum,  there 
were  malingering  applicants  for  admission.  Dr.  Helmcken  tells  of 
one  who  pretended  to  be  not  only  insane  but  paralyzed,  but  as 
his  attempt  at  deception  was  suspected,  the  physician  took  a 
pail  of  water  and  suddenly  dashed  the  contents  upon  the  would-be 
lunatic,  who  immediately  made  a  complete  recovery. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  structure  internally  was  ill- 
adapted  for  its  work.  To  keep  order,  at  times  it  was  found  needful 
to  resort  to  restraint,  which  feature  developed  and  remained  for 
a  considerable  period  of  time. 

Up  to  1873  no  act  had  been  passed  for  the  founding  or  regula- 
tion of  asylums,  but  in  that  year  the  one  known  as  the  "  Insane 
Asylums  Act," '  was  placed  on  the  statutes,  and  continued  in  force 
for  20  years.  It  fixed  the  title  of  the  establishment  as  "  Asylum 
for  the  Insane,  British  Columbia,"  and  placed  the  management  in 
the  hands  of  a  "  medical  superintendent  "  and  a  "  superintendent 

*5i  Vict.,  Chap.  61  (1873,  No.  28,  S.  26). 


BRITISH    COLUMBIA  II 

of  the  asylum,"  the  former  beuig  non-resident,  and  the  latter  a 
resident  layman,  whose  duty  it  was  to  look  after  the  internal 
economy  and  discipline.  It  made  no  provision  for  a  statistical  form 
of  history,  and  so  very  little  information  is  to  be  gleaned  about 
the  patients  treated  in  those  pioneer  days.  The  act  of  1873  was 
amended  in  1893 '  ^"^j  together  with  the  amendment,  repealed  in 
1897,  a  new  act,  the  "  Hospitals  for  Insane  Act," '  replacing  it. 
By  this  the  official  title  of  the  asylum  was  changed  to  "  Public 
Hospital  for  Insane." 

At  the  close  of  the  year  1873  Dr.  Powell  resigned,  and  was 
succeeded  by  Dr.  J.  B.  Matthews  on  January  i,  1874.  Small 
improvements  were  continually  being  made  about  the  buildings, 
and  fences  were  erected  to  form  enclosed  airing  courts. 

At  the  end  of  the  year  1872  there  were  16  patients  in  resi- 
dence, at  the  end  of  1873,  ^4>  ^"^  at  the  end  of  1874,  19.  At  the 
end  of  1875,  however,  there  were  32  patients,  and  as  soon  as  the 
spring  of  1876  opened  a  small  addition  was  built  to  accommodate 
the  increase.  On  July  i  of  that  year  (1876)  J.  J.  Downey 
replaced  Mr.  Sharpe  as  "  superintendent  of  the  asylum,"  and  on 
December  i  of  the  following  year,  Dr.  Matthews  having  resigned, 
Dr.  MacNaughton  Jones  took  charge,  and  went  to  live  in  the  insti- 
tution as  the  first  resident  medical  superintendent.  At  the  end  of 
1877  there  were  37  patients  in  residence.  The  building  could 
accommodate  no  more  and  it  was  neither  desirable  nor  suitable  to 
extend  it  upon  the  site  then  occupied. 

It  was  thereupon  decided  to  remove  the  institution  to  the  main- 
land, where,  close  to  the  city  of  New  Westminster,  there  was  a 
large  tract  of  provincial  land.  This  site  it  still  occupies.  Some 
15  acres,  later  increased  to  100,  of  this  tract,  most  of  it  dense, 
unclaimed  forest,  was  apportioned  to  an  asylum.  Here  the  nucleus 
of  the  present  hospital  was  erected  in  1877-78.  The  location 
selected  is  situated  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Fraser  River,  between 
the  main  part  of  the  city  of  New  Westminster  and  that  portion 
called  Sapperton,  from  its  once  having  been  the  site  of  the  Royal 
Engineers'  camp,  when  a  detachment  of  that  corps  was  on  service 
in  Canada.  The  Dominion  Government  reserve,  on  which  is 
located  the  penitentiary,  lies   next  and  parallel  to  the  asylum 

'56  Vict.,   Chap.   18. 
*6o  Vict.,  Chap.  17. 


12  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

property.  The  bank  of  the  Fraser,  which  forms  the  front  of  the 
property,  rises  to  a  considerable  height.  Mount  Baker  is  plainly 
visible  in  the  east,  while  to  the  north  are  seen  the  coast  range  of  the 
Rockies. 

The  land  varied  greatly  in  the  character  of  its  soil.  That  upon 
the  river  end,  which  was  the  part  built  upon,  was  fairly  good,  being 
a  sandy  loam,  but,  looking  toward  the  establishment  of  an  institu- 
tion farm,  it  presented  no  rich  promise.  However,  for  convenience 
to  the  base  of  supplies  and  to  the  centers  whence  most  patients 
were  likely  to  come,  the  site  could  not  have  been  better. 

The  first  building  constructed  cost  about  $24,000,  and  was  a 
two-story  brick  building,  heated  by  stoves  and  open  fireplaces, 
lighted  by  coal-oil  lamps,  and  very  badly  ventilated.  It  was  125 
feet  long  by  25  feet  wide,  with  a  main  entrance  in  the  center, 
projecting  about  20  feet  to  the  front.  A  narrow  hall  ran  from  the 
front  door  through  to  the  rear,  dividing  the  interior  into  two 
sections,  with  a  ward  in  each.  The  same  plan  prevailed  upstairs, 
making  four  wards  in  all.  The  rooms  for  patients  were  single, 
and  of  these  each  ward  had  seven,  with  a  day  room  and  lavatory, 
but  no  water  closets.  These  latter  were  situated  outside.  A 
peculiarity  of  the  wards  was  the  unusual  height  of  the  window 
sills  from  the  floor,  it  being  so  great  that  no  one  could  see  out  of  the 
windows  unless  he  stood  upon  some  object  as  high  as  a  table,  which, 
as  one  annual  report  says,  was  a  very  common  way  for  patients  to 
spend  hours.  This  defect,  coupled  with  that  of  having  heavy  iron 
bars  for  window  guards,  made  the  wards  gloomy,  and  as  they  were 
provided  with  no  decorations,  no  carpets,  nor  curtains,  and  very 
little  furniture,  one  can  only  wonder  how  the  patients  put  in  the 
time,  and  marvel  that  suicides  were  not  common.  Even  the  bed- 
steads were  home-made  and  furnished  with  straw  ticks  and  straw 
pillows.  There  was  one  dining  room  for  all,  and  the  patients  from 
the  different  wards  took  their  meals  serially,  the  women  first. 
The  superintendent  and  the  matron  had  their  quarters  in  the 
central  part,  and  this,  with  accommodations  for  the  employees  and 
store  rooms,  makes  it  evident  that  not  much  space  could  have  been 
devoted  to  the  wards.  In  fact,  the  one  small  building  had  to  accom- 
modate the  entire  stafif  and  the  38  patients  brought  over  from 
Victoria. 


BRITISH    COLUMBIA  I3 

Such  was  the  structure  and  fitting  up  of  the  first  asylum  for  the 
insane,  built  as  such,  in  the  province.  The  nucleus  of  the  present 
institution  was  erected  in  1877,  the  transfer  of  patients  from  the 
old  hospital  at  Victoria  taking  place  during  the  month  of  May, 
1878 ;  by  the  17th  of  that  month  the  patients,  38  in  number,  had  all 
been  removed,  together  with  household  goods  to  the  value  of  about 
$800,  and  the  hospital  was  duly  opened.  Up  to  the  close  of  the 
year  of  opening,  the  total  admissions,  including  those  to  the 
Victoria  Hospital,  had  been  1 19,  the  discharges  50,  and  the 
deaths  31.^ 

Dr.  Jones,  the  medical  ofiicer,  and  Mrs.  Ross,  the  matron, 
accompanied  the  patients  to  New  Westminster,  but  Mr.  Downey, 
the  lay  superintendent,  gave  up  his  position.  On  June  30  Dr.  Jones 
also  resigned  to  return  to  Victoria  and  take  up  general  practice, 
and  after  an  interregnum  of  six  months  ^  was  succeeded  by  Dr. 
Thomas  R.  Mclnnes,  later  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  province. 
This  change  of  stafif  was  accompanied  by  a  reversion  to  the  old 
system  of  management,  Dr.  Mclnnes  being  made  visiting  medical 
officer,  and  James  Phillips  lay  superintendent. 

The  38  patients  thus  received  more  than  filled  the  28  rooms ' 
and  from  the  very  start  there  was  a  degree  of  overcrowding  that 
was  not  relieved  for  seven  years.  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that 
we  should  soon  find  Dr.  Mclnnes  complaining  that,  with  a  popula- 
tion of  49 — 41  men  and  8  women — the  institution  was  so  full  that 
the  superintendent  had  to  make  use  of  corridors,  sitting,  bath  and 
clothes  rooms  for  bed  space,  and  had,  in  addition,  to  resort  to  the 
dangerous  and  reprehensible  practice  of  putting  two  patients  into 
some  of  the  single  rooms.  On  this  account  he  strongly  urged  upon 
the  government  the  pressing  necessity  for  an  addition  to  accom- 
modate not  less  than  75  patients.*  He  also  states  that  the  over- 
crowding, combined  as  it  was  with  many  defects  in  structure  and 
in  the  various  services,  such  as  the  water,  heating  and  lighting, 

*  Annual  report  on  the  Asylum  for  Insane,  New  Westminster,  B.  C,  year 
1878. 

'  The  medical  service  during  this  interregnum  was  rendered  partly  by  Dr. 
Jones  and  partly  by  Dr.  Mclnnes. 

*  Vide,  plan  on  file  in  hospital. 

*  Statutes  of  British  Columbia,  Appendix  to  46  Vict.,  page  325,  annual 
report  on  the  Asylum  for  the  Insane,  New  Westminster,  for  the  year  1882. 


14  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

was  becoming  unbearable,  and  mentions  that  very  little  outside 
work  could  be  done  on  account  of  the  proximity  of  the  bush  and 
the  danger  of  escapes.  Altogether,  one  gathers  from  his  report 
that  the  treatment  was  simply  that  of  custodial  care. 

In  January,  1883,  Dr.  Mclnnes  having  resigned,  the  office  of 
visiting  physician  was  temporarily  (successively)  filled  by  Drs. 
Sivewright  and  Masters  until  the  permanent  appointment  of  Dr. 
R.  I.  Bentley  on  May  31. 

During  1884  plans  were  prepared  for  throwing  out  a  wing  to 
the  north,  and  its  erection  was  begun.  This  addition  was  made 
99  feet  long  by  33  feet  wide.  The  interior  was  differently  planned, 
the  intention  being  to  provide  dormitories  instead  of  single  rooms, 
and  the  corridors  were  made  wide.  The  cost  of  this  building  was 
$26,000,  and  $4700  more  was  spent  on  works  in  the  way  of 
boundary  fences  and  a  residence  for  the  superintendent.  At  the 
same  time  improvements  were  made  in  the  old  building  by  lowering 
the  window  sills  and  constructing  a  balcony  for  each  ward  so  that 
access  could  be  had  to  it  from  the  day  room.  This  was  a  specially 
welcome  feature  in  a  climate  where  the  winter  season  is  so  unsuited 
for  patients  to  get  out  of  doors  on  account  of  the  incessant  rains. 
The  building  of  1884  retained  one  feature  which  is  not  in  vogue  in 
modern  asylums,  and  that  is  the  heavily  barred  windows,  but  when 
one  has  to  take  charge  of  insane  criminals,  in  addition  to  others 
mentally  afflicted,  this  is  perhaps,  after  all,  the  safest  window 
guard.  The  new  structure  also  possessed  a  front  entrance  of  its 
own  and  was  used  as  an  administrative  building  for  a  season. 

Some  attempt  was  now  made  at  decoration,  pictures  being 
framed  and  placed  on  the  wards,  while  by  using  one  of  the  larger 
rooms  it  was  possible  to  have  divine  service  once  a  week,  a  matter 
that  had  been  neglected  hitherto.  The  capacity  of  the  institution 
was  raised  to  about  70  beds,  with  about  60  patients  in  residence. 

The  new  structures  were  opened  in  1885,  at  which  time  the  era 
of  superintendence  by  a  layman  ceased,  Dr.  Bentley,  who  had 
hitherto  been  visiting  physician,  being  appointed  resident  medical 
superintendent,  with  increase  of  salary,  on  the  ist  of  January, 
while  Mr.  Phillips,  lay  superintendent,  was  made  steward.  It  was 
arranged  that  the  medical  superintendent  should  occupy  the  new 
residence  built  for  him  and  devote  all  his  time  to  his  work, 
although  he  was  permitted  to  attend  to  the  Royal  Columbian 


BRITISH    COLUMBIA  1 5 

Hospital  for  a  while  longer,  a  duty  which  he  had  been  previously 
performing. 

At  this  time  Dr.  Bentley  introduced  an  important  innovation 
in  the  treatment  of  the  patients  by  allowing  them  to  go  out  to  work 
in  the  grounds,  clearing  and  cultivating  the  land  enclosed  within 
the  boundary  fences.  The  employment  thus  furnished  gave  the 
inmates  a  chance  to  be  out  in  the  open  air  and  sunshine,  as  well  as 
supplying  a  means  of  diversion,  and,  as  the  Doctor  says  in  his 
report,  "  to  see  them  at  it  proves  that  they  enjoy  it  thoroughly."  * 
The  amusements  provided  for  the  patients  were  at  this  period  of 
the  most  meager  description.  There  was  no  amusement  hall,  and 
even  as  late  as  1888  we  find  the  superintendent  regretting  that  they 
have  no  piano.  "  The  women,"  he  states,  "  dance  three  times  a 
week  to  music  sung  by  one  of  their  number.  The  men  have  a 
violin  and  concertina,  which  may  be  heard  all  day  long."  ""  During 
the  next  three  or  four  years  Dr.  Bentley  lost  no  opportunity  of 
pointing  out  to  the  government  that  the  water,  heating  and  lighting 
services  were  thoroughly  bad  and  alterations  in  them  were  urgently 
required.  The  water  supply  was  at  this  time  got  by  damming  a 
creek  which  ran  through  a  ravine  about  a  mile  above  the  asylum. 
The  penitentiary,  the  grounds  of  which  adjoined  those  of  the 
asylum,  derived  its  supply  from  the  same  source,  and  the  unsan- 
itary condition  of  affairs  is  thus  reported  by  the  superintendent: 
"  The  waterworks,  as  I  have  informed  the  government,  have  been 
a  source  of  constant  worry,  owing  to  land  slides  in  the  penitentiary 
grounds,  through  which  our  main  pipe  passes.  Every  pipe  in  the 
building  is  frozen,  the  well  is  about  dry,  and  we  have  been  obliged 
to  take  the  top  off  the  boiler  to  prevent  an  accident,  and  keep  it 
supplied  by  buckets  of  water  to  get  sufficient  for  kitchen  purposes. 
Our  supply  of  water  at  present  consists  of  what  we  can  dip  up  with 
buckets  from  a  ditch  at  the  back  of  the  asylum  yard."  ^  Notwith- 
standing this  strenuous  report,  the  matter  was  left  in  abeyance  for 
some  years. 

In  the  same  report  Dr.  Bentley  strongly  expresses  the  wish  to 
have  separate  provision  made  for  the  Chinese,  of  whom  there 

^  Statutes  of  British  Columbia,  Appendix  to  49  Vict.,  page  391 ;  annual 

report  on  the  Asylum  for  the  Insane,  New  Westminster,  B.  C,  year  1885. 

'Ibid.,  Appendix  to  52  Vict.,  page  404;  annual  report  for  the  year  1888. 

^  Ibid.,  Appendix  to  53  Vict.,  page  417 ;  annual  report  for  the  year  1889. 


l6  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

were  then  27  under  care.  This  was  chiefly  on  account  of  the  disUke 
of  the  white  patients  and  their  friends  towards  the  two  races  being 
housed  together.  At  the  time  of  writing  the  number  of  Chinese 
admitted  from  1871  to  August,  1913,  was  228,  and  of  Japanese  54. 

Nothing  was  done,  however,  until  1889,  when  it  was  decided  to 
add  an  administration  building  and  another  wing.  At  the  same 
time  radical  changes  were  planned  for  the  old  structure  to  make  it 
more  nearly  conform  to  modern  ideas.  It  was  accordingly  widened 
by  adding  12  feet  to  the  frontage.  To  admit  of  carrying  out  this 
work  the  building  had  to  be  abandoned  by  the  patients,  and  20 
men  were  selected  and  sent  to  the  provincial  jail,  while  the  rest 
were  housed  in  the  1884  building. 

The  new  administration  building  formed,  as  it  still  does,  the 
center  of  the  main  block,  being  three  stories  high  and  constructed 
of  brick.  It  was  arranged  to  contain  the  officers'  quarters  and 
administrative  offices,  as  well  as  the  steward's  store  rooms,  a 
dispensary,  and  a  reception  room  for  visitors,  while  the  entire  top 
floor  was  one  large  hall  for  amusement  purposes.  The  new  wing 
was  slightly  larger  than  either  of  the  others  and  arranged  in  the 
most  accepted  style  of  the  time,  having  a  wide  central  corridor 
with  all  the  bed  rooms  leading  off  it,  the  day  room  and  lavatories 
being  in  the  center.  It  would  accommodate  55  patients  in  all, 
while  the  alterations  in  the  old  building  made  it  of  like  capacity. 
The  only  possible  objection  to  the  changes  in  the  old  building  was 
doing  away  with  the  balconies.  This  was  a  distinct  loss,  but  the 
substitution  of  modem  window  screens  for  the  iron  bars  formerly 
in  use  partially  made  up  for  it.  A  new  brick  kitchen  was  also 
built  in  the  rear.  Connections  were  made  with  the  New  West- 
minster Gas  Company's  pipes,  and  gas  was  installed  for  lighting 
the  wards,  but  the  attendants'  rooms  were  not  so  provided.  Two 
hot-water  furnaces  were  placed  in  the  basements,  and  the  wards 
were  heated  by  this  means. 

We  now  hear,  for  the  first  time,  mention  of  a  work-shop,  the 
old  kitchen  being  allotted  to  the  carpenter  for  his  use  as  such. 
When  all  these  operations  had  been  completed  the  government 
had  spent  $55,000,  and  the  institution  had  a  capacity  of  165 
patients. 

The  20  patients  in  the  jail,  whose  number  had  been  augmented 
to  27  during  the  12  months  that  building  was  in  progress,  were 


BRITISH    COLUMBIA  17 

brought  back  in  August,  1890,  making  the  population  at  the  close 
of  that  year  117 — 102  men  and  15  women. 

Although  there  was  a  large  area  of  virgin-forest  land  adjoining 
the  institution,  little  had  been  done  toward  the  clearing  of  it,  and 
agricultural  operations  were  conducted  on  a  very  limited  scale, 
as  indicated  by  the  following  excerpt  for  that  year : 

We  will  not  be  able  to  put  in  our  spring  crop,  attend  to  the  weeds  during 
the  summer,  do  the  fencing,  carpentering,  painting,  cleaning,  roadmaking, 
etc.,  unless  we  are  allowed  a  horse  and  cart.  We  ought  to  have  more  than 
one  cow.  We  have  tried  a  few  chickens,  which  are  doing  well,  and  we  have 
a  couple  of  pigs.^ 

Dr.  Bently  also  complained  of  the  paucity  of  attendants ;  one 
keeper,  he  reported,  had  been  nearly  killed  before  he  received 
assistance,  through  being  alone  with  the  patients  at  meal  time. 
The  distribution  of  attendants  was,  he  stated,  as  follows :  "  A 
ward,  15  women;  B  ward  full,  with  24  convalescents,  two  keepers 
(one  the  carpenter  and  one  the  outdoor  overseer)  ;  C  ward,  for  the 
fractious,  has  28  beds  with  26  patients,  two  keepers  (one  the 
gardener)  ;  D  ward  has  28  beds,  all  full  of  paralyzed,  sick  and  help- 
less patients.  To  attend  to  this  ward  is  the  head  keeper,  who  also 
has  charge  of  the  male  patients'  clothes  and  a  dozen  other  kinds 
of  work,  assisted  by  the  plumber,  who  has  put  in  part  of  every  day 
lately  looking  after  the  water  supply  pipes ;  E  ward  is  unoccupied ; 
F  ward  is  occupied  by  23  Chinese  and  one  Indian,  under  the  charge 
of  a  single  keeper.  A  second  is  urgently  needed.  As  each  keeper 
is  allowed  one  afternoon  a  week  away  from  the  institution,  the 
keepers  have  to  change  about  so  that  C  ward  at  least  shall  always 
have  two  attendants.  If  one  keeper  is  away  sick,  all  work  must 
be  stopped  until  his  return."  " 

Notwithstanding  the  many  drawbacks,  during  the  years  that 
Dr.  Bentley  was  in  charge  the  grounds  were  very  greatly  im- 
proved, as  also  the  lot  of  the  inmates. 

In  1892  the  water  works  of  New  Westminster  were  connected 
with  the  asylum,  the  supply  coming  from  Coquitlam  Lake,  eight 
miles  distant,  and  for  the  first  time  in  its  history  the  institution 
had  abundance  of   water  of   the  purest  quality.     The  change 

^  Statutes  of  British  Columbia,  Appendix  to  54  Vict.,  page  342.  Annual 
report  on  the  Asylum  for  the  Insane,  New  Westminster,  B.  C,  for  the  year 
1890. 

*  Ibid.,  page  343. 


l8  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

brought  with  it  also  an  increased  degree  of  fire  protection,  as 
stand-pipes  were  placed  in  all  the  wards  and  hydrants  in  the  front 
grounds,  furnishing  streams  of  high  pressure. 

The  greatest  need  now  felt  in  the  hospital  was  that  of  a  better 
laundry,  and  this  was  supplied  in  the  year  1894,  when  the  present 
brick  structure  was  erected.  It  was  furnished  with  a  cement  floor, 
but  had  a  very  faulty  dry-room,  while  the  other  internal  fittings 
were  left  in  a  rather  primitive  state,  no  machinery  being  installed, 
and  the  washing  being  done  in  tubs  by  Chinese  patients.  This, 
however,  has  been  remedied  and  the  washing  is  now  done  by 
modern  machinery. 

In  1894  charges  of  ill-treatment  of  patients  and  the  excessive 
use  of  restraint  having  been  made  against  the  asylum,  a  Royal 
Commission,  consisting  of  Drs.  Edward  Hasell  and  Charles  F. 
Newcombe,  of  Victoria,  was  appointed  by  the  government  to 
investigate  them.  The  evidence,  taken  under  oath,  showed  the 
charges  to  have  been  only  too  well  founded.  Restraint,  and  that 
of  an  unusually  severe  character,  had  been  freely  resorted  to  in 
the  male  wards,  not  only  as  a  means  of  preventing  violence,  but  as 
punishment,  while  other  greater  cruelties  had  been  practised. 

The  methods  of  restraint  or  punishment  found  to  be  in  use  were 
steel  handcuffs,  steel  anklets,  leather  mitts,  leather  muffs,  leather 
anklets,  pinion  straps,  camisoles,  and  "  cold  ducking."  No  record 
was  kept  of  the  restraint  employed,  and  attendants  resorted  to  it 
at  will.  Patients  were  reported  as  sleeping  with  their  hands  con- 
fined in  handcuffs  behind  them  for  many  nights  in  succession. 
Beating  with  straps  was  admitted  to  be  a  common  occurrence,  and, 
according  to  the  patients,  the  buckle  end  was  occasionally  used. 
Kicks  and  blows  with  the  fist  were  frequent  incidents  of  mal- 
treatment. * 

Seclusion  was  also  resorted  to,  and  on  this  point  the  commission 
reported  in  these  terms : 

In  addition  to  the  so-called  broom-closet,  measuring  about  six  feet  by 
four  feet,  in  each  ward,  used,  when  considered  necessary,  for  the  confine- 
ment of  troublesome  patients,  there  is  in  the  basement  cellar  a  dark  cell, 
made  of  scantling  lined  and  floored  with  boards.  In  this  was  lying  a  small 
piece  of  matting.     It  is  a  very  cold  place,  and  near  it  are  places  for  the 

^  Statutes  of  British  Columbia,  Appendix  to  58  Vict.,  report  of  Royal 
Commission  on  Asylum  for  the  Insane. 


BRITISH    COLUMBIA  IQ 

Storage  of  vegetables  and  coal.  On  inquiry,  Dt.  Bentley  at  once  told  us 
that  it  had  been  built  and  used  only  for  the  seclusion  of  one  patient' — a 
Chinaman  named  Chin  Fook  Yen — some  years  ago;  that  its  construction 
had  not  been  sanctioned  by  the  Provincial  Secretary,  and  that,  indeed,  he 
had  considered  the  matter  of  such  small  importance  that  he  had  not  even 
reported  its  existence.  On  examining  the  steward  and  keepers,  we  found 
that  it  had  been  used  for  at  least  four  other  men  and  one  woman.^ 

While  there  was  no  positive  evidence  that  the  superintendent 
had  a  knowledge  of  this  sad  state  of  affairs,  the  commission  held 
that,  as  such,  he  should  have  been  cognizant  of  it.  The  result 
was  that  Dr.  Bentley  resigned  his  position  and  retired  from  office 
at  the  end  of  the  year.  Dr.  Newcombe  was  placed  temporarily 
in  charge  for  a  month,  being  relieved  on  February  i,  1895,  when 
Dr.  G.  F.  Bodington,  an  English  graduate  with  considerable 
experience  in  the  care  of  the  insane  in  the  "  Old  Country,"  became 
medical  superintendent. 

During  the  year  1895  a  new  residence  for  the  superintendent 
was  added  to  the  front  of  the  asylum.  At  the  same  time  the 
detached  building  formerly  occupied  by  him  was  converted  into  a 
separate  ward  for  convalescent  and  orderly  female  patients,  under 
the  name  of  "  Lawn  House."  An  entrance  lodge  was  also  built, 
and  electric  light  introduced  into  the  new  structures  from  the 
city  plant. 

Dr.  Bodington,  although  not  a  believer  in  the  doctrine  of  com- 
plete non-restraint,  was  utterly  opposed  to  the  employment  of 
restraint  as  a  means  of  punishment,  and  under  his  rule  its  use  was 
greatly  lessened,  and  only  the  mildest  and  most  humane  forms  of 
it  resorted  to.  To  bring  about  this  result,  much  attention  was 
given  to  the  provision  of  occupation  and  amusement  for  the 
patients.  Tailoring  and  shoemaking  departments  were  organized, 
farming  was  pushed  as  vigorously  as  possible,  and  amusements, 
musical  and  otherwise,  given  a  prominent  place  in  treatment. 

During  the  years  1895  and  1896  the  number  of  patients  was 
rapidly  increasing,  and  at  the  close  of  the  latter  year  the  wards 
were  full  to  overflowing,  there  being  171  in  residence,  with  accom- 
modation for  only  165.     The  situation  was  further  accentuated 

^  Statutes  of  British  Columbia,  Appendix  to  58  Vict.,  report  of  Royal 
Commission  on  Asylum  for  the  Insane,  page  511. 


20  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

during  1897.     Dr.  Bodington,  writing  under  date  of  March  24, 

1898,  said : 

Our  capacity  is  nominally  150,  but  the  actual  number  of  patients  this  day 
is  212,  made  up  of  175  males  and  Z7  females.*  We  are  much  overcrowded, 
and  have  been  compelled  to  turn  the  dining  rooms  into  dormitories  and  to 
give  the  patients  their  meals  on  the  corridors. 

Plans  for  additions  were  prepared  and  work  begun  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1897  upon  the  first  of  two  detached  buildings,  to  be  located 
to  the  south  of  the  then  existing  establishment. 

Each  of  these  structures  was  intended  to  accommodate  about 
55  patients,  and  an  effort  was  made  to  have  the  appointments  along 
modern  lines.  Internally  they  presented  some  marked  contrasts 
when  compared  with  the  old  wards.  There  was  a  proper  day 
room,  large  and  bright,  with  a  beautiful  view  from  the  windows ; 
there  was  no  dark  wainscoting,  and  the  lavatories  were  tiled  and 
up  to  date.  The  1897  structure  was  provided  with  an  isolation 
department  for  noisy  patients,  while  a  corresponding  department 
attached  to  the  building,  the  erection  of  which  was  begun  in  1898, 
was  made  in  the  shape  of  a  pavilion. 

As  soon  as  the  first  building  was  completed  in  1898  it  was 
occupied  by  male  patients.    The  other  was  finished  the  next  year, 

1899,  but  was  not  occupied  until  February  20,  1900.  The  latter, 
intended  for  women,  gave  great  relief  to  the  female  department, 
as  it  provided  two  wards  for  the  accommodation  of  the  women 
who  had,  up  to  that  time,  been  housed  in  one  small  ward.  It 
further  enabled  the  management  to  place  by  themselves  those 
patients  who  presented  some  hope  of  recovery. 

At  the  time  that  these  additions  were  undertaken,  provision  was 
made  for  one  general  system  of  heating,  which  it  was  decided 
should  be  steam.  With  this  end  in  view,  a  central  boiler  house  was 
located  to  the  rear  of  the  main  building,  and  to  secure  sufficient 
fall  in  the  return  pipes  the  boiler  room  was  placed  15  feet  below 
the  surface  of  the  ground.  Three  large  safety  boilers  were 
installed,  while  all  the  coils  and  radiators  in  the  old  building  were 
rearranged  to  correspond  with  the  system  placed  in  the  new  ones. 
Two  stories  were  built  above  the  boiler  room,  the  first  of  which, 
on  the  ground  level,  afforded  quarters  for  the  steward's  several 

*  The  remarkable  disproportion  between  men  and  women  in  this  asylum 
arises  from  the  great  disproportion  between  the  two  sexes  in  the  province. 


BRITISH    COLUMBIA  21 

store  rooms.  To  the  rear  of  this  structure,  and  attached,  was 
erected  a  two-story  building,  the  ground  floor  of  which  contained 
a  kitchen,  scullery,  pantries,  etc.,  while  the  upper  story  provided 
a  congregate  dining  room  for  250  patients  and  an  amusement  hall, 
with  corridors  connecting  the  various  buildings  running  into  it. 

During  1899  the  old  amusement  hall  was  remodelled  and  con- 
verted into  an  infirmary  ward,  with  a  large,  well-equipped  opera- 
ting room  in  conjunction.  At  the  same  time  a  brick  mortuary  was 
erected  at  a  convenient  place  in  the  rear  grounds,  provided  with  a 
well-lighted  autopsy  room. 

It  was  suggested  that  the  waste  steam  from  the  laundry  might 
be  utilized  to  provide  power  to  light  the  entire  institution  by  elec- 
tricity. A  plant  was  accordingly  installed,  but  it  was  found  that 
a  much  higher  pressure  of  steam  would  be  required  to  run  it  than 
that  usually  carried  in  the  boilers  for  heating  and  working  pur- 
poses.   The  plant  was  therefore  made  a  separate  and  distinct  one. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  1898  there  retired  from  the  service  an 
officer  who  had  served  the  institution,  in  various  capacities,  for 
almost  24  years.  This  was  the  steward,  James  Phillips.  He 
joined  the  staff  as  an  attendant  on  March  i,  1875  ;  was  made  "  lay 
superintendent  of  the  asylum"  September  i,  1878,  and  finally 
steward  on  January  i,  1885,  retiring  at  the  ripe  age  of  75  years. 

During  1899,  the  medical  superintendent  being  laid  up  with  a 
severe  illness,  an  assistant  was  given  him.  Dr.  G.  H.  Manchester, 
formerly  assistant  superintendent  of  the  Protestant  Hospital  for 
Insane,  Montreal. 

Early  in  the  year  1901  the  hospital  was  visited  by  Dr.  C.  K. 
Clarke,  medical  superintendent  of  the  Rockwood  Hospital  (for 
insane)  at  Kingston,  Ontario,  who  came  under  instructions  from 
the  Hon.  Provincial  Secretary's  Department  to  inspect  the  institu- 
tion, examine  into  its  workings,  and  report  to  the  government. 
After  a  searching  investigation,  Dr.  Clarke  recommended  that 
certain  changes  should  be  made  with  a  view  to  introducing  greater 
economy  in  the  use  of  supplies,  and  to  make  the  general  plan  of 
management  conform  to  that  which  had  proved  most  successful 
elsewhere. 

It  was  apparent  that  the  required  changes  would  entail  an 
immense  amount  of  extra  work,  and  Dr.  Bodington,  therefore, 
felt  constrained,  owing  to  advancing  years,  to  relinquish  the  labor 


22  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF    THE    INSANE 

in  favor  of  younger  hands,  and  seek  for  himself  a  well-earned  rest 
in  the  land  of  his  birth.  His  term  of  service,  extending  over  six 
years,  terminated  February  28,  1901,  his  assistant.  Dr.  Manchester, 
being  nominated  to  fill  the  vacancy.  As  his  successor  in  office 
states  in  his  report  for  that  year.  Dr.  Bodington's  "  departure 
was  regretted  by  all  throughout  an  institution  of  which  he  had 
taken  the  helm  at  a  very  trying  time,  to  safely  pilot  it  through 
some  difficult  passages,  and  that  despite  the  fact  that  he  had  never 
enjoyed  robust  health  and  had  already  arrived  at  that  period  of 
life  when  men  hope  to  be  able  to  forget  labor  and  worry.  His 
occupancy  of  the  position  of  superintendent  consisted  of  six  years 
of  the  most  arduous  toil,  during  the  greater  part  of  which  time  he 
was  alone  in  charge  of  the  institution.  In  view  of  the  faithful 
services  rendered.  Dr.  Bodington  was  voted  a  retiring  allowance 
by  the  government." 

Dr.  Manchester  continued  in  charge  of  the  hospital  from  1901 
until  1905,  and  under  his  regime  many  improvements  to  the 
grounds  and  the  interior  of  the  buildings  were  brought  about.  To 
his  urging  also,  in  large  measure,  was  due  the  setting  aside  by  the 
government  of  a  plot  of  icxdo  acres  of  land,  situated  at  Coquitlam, 
as  provision  for  the  erection  of  a  new  asylum,  which  it  was  evident 
would  sooner  or  later  become  necessary. 

On  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Manchester  to  enter  private  practice, 
March  i,  1905,  Dr.  C.  E.  Doherty,  the  present  incumbent,  was 
appointed  to  succeed  him. 

This  year  saw  the  complete  abolition  of  mechanical  restraint  in 
all  forms,  the  installation  of  a  hydrotherapeutic  plant,  and  the 
inauguration  of  observation  dormitories,  while  in  1906  a  patho- 
logical laboratory  was  opened  and  placed  in  charge  of  F.  P. 
Hughes,  formerly  of  the  British  Enteric  and  Dysentery  Com- 
mission. 

BRITISH  COLUMBIA  MENTAL  HOSPITAL. 

EssoNDALE  Point,  Coquitlam,  B.  C. 

From  1906  to  1908  the  admissions  to  the  New  Westminster 
Hospital  had  increased  so  rapidly  that  at  the  end  of  the  latter  year 
there  were  509  patients  under  treatment.  The  property,  30  acres 
in  all,  was  too  small  to  permit  of  any  further  extension,  so  it  was 


BRITISH    COLUMBIA  23 

decided  to  begin  work  on  the  erection  of  a  new  institution.  The 
site  selected,  and  which  has  become  known  as  "  Colony  Farm," 
was  a  property  consisting  of  looo  acres,  which  had  been  acquired 
by  the  government  some  years  previously.  It  still  remained  virgin 
forest,  with  considerable  low,  swamp  land,  and  was  situated  in 
the  valley  of  the  Fraser  River,  where  it  is  joined  by  the  Coquitlam 
River.  Tents  were  secured  and  some  20  patients  from  New  West- 
minster housed  therein  to  clear  land  for  temporary  quarters,  which 
were  completed  before  the  fall  of  1908. 

In  the  spring  of  the  following  year  the  clearing-  of  land  was 
begun  in  earnest,  and  by  the  end  of  the  season  some  80  acres  were 
ready  for  the  plow.  This  work  was  accomplished  by  about  40 
patients,  many  of  whom  were  excellent  axemen,  with  the  assistance 
of  two  donkey-engines,  manned,  with  the  exception  of  engineers, 
by  patients.  During  the  winter  of  1909  it  was  decided  to  push  the 
work  of  clearing  as  rapidly  as  possible.  The  temporary  quarters 
were  accordingly  enlarged  to  accommodate  65  of  the  best  working 
patients ;  three  more  donkey-engines  were  secured ;  and  in  the 
spring  work  was  recommenced.  As  Dr.  Doherty,  medical  superin- 
tendent, says  in  a  paper  read  by  him  on  "  The  Treatment  of  the 
Insane  in  British  Columbia,"'  before  the  American  Medico-Psycho- 
logical Association  in  May,  191 2 :  "  The  manner  in  which  our 
patients  took  hold  of  this  work  surprised  me,  one  patient  alone, 
during  one  month,  handling  17  tons  of  blasting  powder."  By  the 
fall  of  1910  some  500  acres  had  been  cleared,  and  all  low  land  dyked 
and  completely  underdrained. 

In  the  meantime  the  provincial  government  had  called  for  plans 
for  a  complete,  new  institution  to  accommodate  1800  patients,  and 
had  opened  a  competition  into  which  any  and  all  architects  were 
invited  to  enter.  Prizes  were  offered  for  the  designs  obtaining 
first,  second  and  third  places  in  the  competition,  and  Franklin  B. 
Ware,  State  Architect  of  New  York,  was  appointed  adjudicator. 
The  plan  awarded  first  place,  prepared  by  H.  S.  Griffith,  of  Vic- 
toria, B.  C,  showed  a  design  for  an  institution  arranged  in  the 
corridor-pavilion  style,  consisting  of  a  central  administration  unit, 
behind  which  and  connected  by  a  corridor  were  a  steward's  office 
and  stores  with  service  quarters  above,  the  kitchen,  bakery,  etc., 
being  on  the  third  floor.  Separate  buildings  for  the  acute  and 
chronic  insane,  male  and  female,  were  arranged  in  horse-shoe 


24  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

form,  one  behind  the  other,  on  either  side  of  the  administration 
building,  while  between  it  and  the  quarters  for  acute  cases  were 
situated  separate,  detached  residences  for  male  and  female  nurses. 
Convalescent  homes  and  infirmaries,  one  for  each  sex,  devoid  of 
the  corridor  arrangement,  were  located  at  some  distance  in  front, 
on  either  side  of  the  central  structure.  The  laundry,  an  isolation 
hospital,  a  mortuary  and  a  laboratory  appeared  in  the  rear  on  one 
side,  with  workshops  and  an  amusement  hall  on  the  other.  It  was 
specified  that  all  the  buildings  should  be  fireproof,  constructed  of 
reinforced  concrete  throughout,  and  faced  with  red  brick. 

In  arranging  for  the  drawing  of  plans  there  were  three  points 
upon  which  Dr.  Doherty  insisted  for  provision  in  construction ; 
firstly,  the  isolation  and  fresh-air  treatment  of  all  cases  of 
acute  insanity ;  secondly,  provision  in  both  chronic  buildings  for 
handling  at  least  90  per  cent  of  the  chronic  insane  in  congregate 
dormitories ;  and,  thirdly,  the  provision  of  proper  buildings  for 
manual  arts  and  crafts  training,  as  well  as  for  amusement. 
Accordingly,  the  hospital,  in  its  acute  buildings,  is  equipped  in 
such  a  way  that  each  acute  case  of  an  active  character  can  be 
treated  as  individually  as  if  he  were  the  only  patient  in  the 
hospital,  while,  at  the  same  time,  every  provision  is  made  for  an 
abundant  supply  of  fresh  air  and  a  maximum  of  sunlight. 

The  acute  buildings  contain  six  large  apartments  arranged 
en  suite,  three  in  each  building.  Each  suite  has  attached  rooms, 
15  feet  by  20  feet,  with  lavatory,  continuous  bath,  and  pack 
equipment,  two  attendants'  rooms,  and  a  small  diet  kitchen.  The 
walls  of  each  apartment  are  provided  with  extremely  thick,  dead- 
ened partitions,  triple  doors  and  windows.  They  are  also  provided 
with  the  best  obtainable  system  of  forced  ventilation.  Each  apart- 
ment can  be  opened  onto  a  separate  compartment  of  a  solarium, 
when  a  patient's  acute  symptoms  have  begun  to  subside,  and  before 
he  is  passed  along  to  the  regular  admission  ward. 

The  congregate  dormitories  are  so  arranged  that  each  holds  50 
patients,  and  that  two  dormitories  can,  at  the  same  time,  be  under 
the  constant  supervision  of  a  night  nurse.  They  are  all  artificially 
ventilated,  so  that  no  windows  are  open ;  patients  have  access  to 
the  lavatories  and  fresh  water  throughout  the  night,  no  chambers 
being  allowed.  The  result  of  such  arrangement  is  not  only  an 
improvement  in  the  general  atmosphere  of  the  place  and  the  night 


BRITISH    COLUMBIA  25 

discipline  of  the  patients,  but  a  reduction  to  a  minimum  of  the 
dangers  which  always  exist  in  single  rooms  or  small  dormitories 
only  periodically  visited. 

The  workshops  are  fireproof;  all  stories  have  15  feet  of  head 
space,  are  well  lighted  on  two  sides,  and  provided  with  the  same 
artificial  ventilation  as  the  hospital  proper.  The  recreation  hall  is 
large  enough  to  seat  one-half  the  population,  while  the  gymnasium 
is  commodious  and  fully  equipped. 

Dr.  Doherty  is  especially  proud  of  the  stables  and  stock  at 
Colony  Farm.    As  stated  in  the  Farmers'  Advocate  of  December, 

1912,  the  buildings  "  are  generally  conceded  to  be  the  best  equipped 
barns,  stables,  dairy  equipment,  and  yards  in  Canada."  In  the 
buildings  "  nothing  is  wanting.  Electric  lights  are  available  every- 
where by  the  mere  turning  of  a  button.  Water  is  supplied  where 
needed,  and  hydrants  are  placed  in  suitable  locations  for  use  in 
case  of  fire.  Yards  are  asphalted,  a  bed  of  four  inches  of  concrete 
having  a  two-inch  surface  of  the  asphalt.  Street  sweepers  keep 
the  yards  clean  and  a  sprinkler  keeps  down  dust.  Pipes  from  the 
stable  carry  liquid  manure  to  a  large  under-ground  vat.  There  are 
two  cow  barns.  The  milking  barn  does  not  contain  any  feed.  All 
feeding  material  is  brought  by  carrier  from  an  adjacent  feed  barn 
as  required." 

The  stock  consists  of  a  large  herd  of  Holsteins,  all  of  the 
purest  breed,  and  many  of  them  record-breakers  at  agricultural 
exhibitions  throughout  the  Dominion.  The  stud  is  mainly  made  up 
of  Clydesdales,  with  a  proportion  of  hackneys,  a  number  of  each 
class  being  prize-winners,  not  only  in  this  but  in  the  "  Old 
Country." 

The  hospital  was  opened  for  the  reception  of  patients  on  April  i, 

191 3,  and  at  the  present  time  (February,  19 14)  there  are  some  500 
men  in  residence,  no  women  having  yet  been  admitted. 

When  fully  completed  and  the  grounds  properly  laid  out  there 
can  be  little  doubt  that  this,  perhaps  the  newest  hospital  for  the 
insane,  will  present  a  fine  appearance  and  be  one  of  the  most 
up-to-date  institutions  on  the  Continent. 

Under  date  July,  191 3,  Dr.  Doherty  sets  the  number  of  British 
Columbian  insane  at  about  11 50,  of  whom  1020  are  under  treatment 
in  the  public  institutions.  The  total  population  of  the  province  in 
1 911  was  362,768. 


THE  CARE  OF  THE  INSANE  IN  MANITOBA. 

Previous  to  1871  there  was  no  provision  for  lunatics  in  Mani- 
toba. Amongst  the  sparse  population  of  the  province,  while  it 
was  yet  a  part  of  the  old  Hudson's  Bay  Company  territory, 
cases  of  insanity  were  few,  and  these  few,  so  far  as  can  be 
learned,  were  generally  of  a  quiet,  demented  type,  and  as  such 
allowed  to  wander  about  at  will,  or  cared  for  by  their  friends 
and  neighbors. 

Among  the  Indians  insanity  was  not  at  all  common.  It  was 
usual  for  them  and  many  of  the  half-breeds  to  attribute  the 
origin  of  this  affliction  to  the  action  of  some  evil  charm,  or  the 
administration  of  a  noxious  potion,  "  Indian  medicine,"  obtained 
by  an  enemy  from  one  of  the  many  "  medicine  men."  There  was 
also  an  implicit  belief  that  if  a  counter-remedy  or  charm  could  be 
procured  from  a  "  medicine  man  "  possessing  greater  power  than 
he  from  whom  the  ofifending  one  had  been  derived,  the  patient 
could  be  quickly  cured.  On  this  subject  Dr.  Young,  for  28  years 
medical  superintendent  of  the  Selkirk  Asylum,  writes  as  follows : 

When  I  came  to  this  country  in  1871  there  were  few,  if  any,  of  the 
people  in  Red  River  settlement  who  did  not  firmly  believe  in  the  power  of 
the  "  medicine  men "  to  either  afflict  or  relieve,  and  I  think  I  can  safely 
say  that  every  insane  Indian  who  has  been  placed  under  my  care  had 
previously  tested  the  powers  of  the  several  aboriginal  practitioners.  They 
were  only  sent  to  me  after  the  failure  of  these  gentlemen  to  counteract 
the  "  bad  medicine  "  that  had  been  the  cause  of  the  trouble.^ 

Arguing  from  this,  it  seems  very  probable  that  some  of  the 
comparatively  few  afflicted  were  cured  by  faith ;  some  by  the 
treatment  which  was  not  always  quite  void  of  value ;  while  the 
balance,  who  were  not  amenable  to  cure  by  either  of  these  means, 

^The  late  Dr.  Geo.  M.  Dawson,  director  of  the  Canadian  Geological 
Survey  and  probably  one  of  the  best  posted  men  on  the  Northwest  and 
all  pertaining  thereto,  informed  the  writer  that  his  experience  of  "  medicine 
men  "  was  rather  to  the  effect  that  they  depended  upon  mysterious  cere- 
monies, dancing,  singing,  etc.,  than  upon  potions  of  any  kind.  He  also 
stated  that  in  the  case  of  idiots  the  Indians  seemed  to  tend  them  some- 
what carefully  and  to  regard  them  as  bringing  luck  in  some  way. 


MANITOBA  27 

succumbed  to  the  successive  ministrations  of  the  rival  "  medicine 
men."  There  was  httle  need,  therefore,  in  the  early  days  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  to  make  any  provision  for  the  chronic 
insane. 

Cases  of  acute  mania,  especially  if  violent,  v^^ere  often  got  rid 
of  in  a  much  more  speedy  manner.  Those  so  afflicted  were  sup- 
posed to  be  possessed  by  a  cannibal  spirit  or  "  Windigo,"  and 
being  thus  a  menace  to  the  other  members  of  the  tribe,  were 
promptly  shot  or  otherwise  disposed  of  without  ceremony.  Even 
within  comparatively  recent  years  a  case  of  this  kind  occurred 
near  Battleford,  Northwest  Territory,  an  Indian  being  sent  to  the 
penitentiary  for  life  on  account  of  having  killed  one  of  his  female 
relatives  in  the  belief  that,  being  insane,  she  would  devour  some 
of  the  other  members  of  the  family. 

In  1 87 1,  during  the  regime  of  Lieutenant-Governor  Archibald, 
the  Dominion  Government  established  the  Manitoba  Penitentiary 
at  Lower  Fort  Garry  (Stone  Fort),  20  miles  north  of  Fort  Garry, 
now  the  city  of  Winnipeg.  One  of  the  old  stone  store  houses  of 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  previously  used  for  the  confinement 
of  Lepine,  Adjutant-General  to  the  notorious  Louis  Riel,  and 
some  of  his  fellow  rebels,  was  fitted  up  for  penitentiary  purposes, 
and  here,  from  1871  to  1877,  the  insane  were  cared  for. 

In  1877  the  convicts  were  removed  to  Stony  Mountain,  where 
the  present  penitentiary  had  been  erected,  the  lunatics  then  in 
custody  being  transferred  with  them. 

Up  to  this  time  only  such  of  the  insane  as  were  considered 
dangerous  were  confined,  and  there  had  never  been  more  than 
three  or  four  in  residence  at  one  time.  Except  in  the  case  of 
females,  no  separate  provision  was  made  for  lunatics,  they  and 
the  convicts  being  treated  as  one.  About  two  years  after  the 
removal,  however,  an  order-in-council  was  passed  that  all  cases 
of  insanity  arising  in  Manitoba  and  the  Northwest  territories 
should  be  admitted  and  cared  for  in  a  portion  of  the  building 
apart  from  the  convicts.  Naturally,  under  this  new  regulation, 
the  number  of  the  insane  in  the  penitentiary  increased  rapidly, 
and  in  1883  it  was  recognized  that  other  provision  for  this  unfor- 
tunate class  must  be  considered.  The  provincial  legislature  ac- 
cordingly passed  an  act  authorizing  the  building  of  an  asylum 
and  providing  for  the  proper  care  of  the  insane. 


28  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF  THE   INSANE 

While  steps  were  being  taken  to  put  this  act  in  force,  the 
Dominion  Government,  in  1884,  notified  the  provincial  authorities 
that  they  must  remove  the  lunatics  from  the  penitentiary  without 
delay.  The  new  asylum  not  being  completed,  temporary  accom- 
modation was  made  for  them  at  Lower  Fort  Garry,  where  their 
old  quarters,  the  former  penitentiary,  and  another  building  were 
arranged  for  their  reception.  These  structures  were  occupied 
in  February,  1885,  by  35  patients,  27  men  and  8  women,  trans- 
ferred from  the  penitentiary  at  Stony  Mountain.  Dr.  David 
Young,  a  graduate  of  Queens  University,  Kingston,  Ont.,  who 
had  been  appointed  such  on  June  i  of  the  previous  year,  was  the 
first  medical  superintendent,  and  ably  filled  the  position  under 
many  trying  circumstances  up  to  March  i,  1912,  when  he  resigned 
after  over  a  quarter  of  a  century's  service  on  superannuation 
allowance,  being,  in  addition,  made  consulting  physician  to  the 
provincial  hospitals  for  the  insane.  A  successor  to  Dr.  Young 
was  nominated  on  the  date  of  his  resignation  in  the  person  of 
Dr.  J.  B.  Chambers,  who  still  continues  to  fill  the  office. 

Immediately  after  his  appointment  as  superintendent  Dr.  Young 
was  instructed  by  the  late  John  Norquay,  Premier  of  the  province, 
to  visit  a  number  of  the  asylums  in  Eastern  Canada  and  the 
United  States  so  as  to  get  a  practical  experience  of  the  proper 
management  and  equipment  of  institutions  of  this  kind. 

SELKIRK  ASYLUM.' 
Selkirk,  Man. 

The  site  selected  for  the  new  institution  was  at  the  town  of 
Selkirk,  located  on  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway,  six  miles  from 
the  old  Stone  Fort,  and  a  mile  west  of  Red  River.  The  corner- 
stone was  laid  by  Sir  Hector  L.  Langevin  in  June,  1884,  and  on 
May  25,  1886,  the  building  being  ready  for  occupation,  59  patients, 
44  men  and  15  women,  were  moved  into  it.  The  institution 
was  substantially  built,  with  solid  brick  walls  and  partitions,  and 
stone  foundations  up  to  the  ground  floor.  Its  capacity  at  the 
date  of  opening  was  167. 

'In  1910,  after  much  solicitation  on  the  part  of  Dr.  Young,  the  Legis- 
lature saw  fit  to  change  the  appellation  of  asylum  to  hospital.  The  official 
title  of  the  institution  is  now  therefore  "  Selkirk  Hospital  for  the  Insane." 


MANITOBA  29 

Overcrowding'  was  soon  the  order  of  the  day,  and  in  1888,  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  the  south  wing  of  the  edifice  had  been  com- 
pleted and  occupied  in  that  year,  the  patients  from  the  Northwest 
Territory  and  Keewatin,  consisting-  of  13  men  and  8  women,  who 
had  been  received  by  an  arrangement  with  the  Dominion  Govern- 
ment, were  re-transferred  to  Stony  Mountain. 

In  1890,  to  still  further  relieve  the  congestion,  some  17  harm- 
less patients,  12  men  and  5  women,  of  the  imbecile  class,  were 
removed  to  the  Home  for  Incurables,  opened  in  June  of  that  year 
at  Portage  La  Prairie. 

The  temporary  relief  thus  obtained  was  soon  exhausted  owing 
to  the  rapidly  increasing  population  of  the  "  Prairie  Province," 
and  in  July,  1891,  24  patients  were  sent  to  Brandon  Asylum,  the 
erection  of  which  had  been  begun  the  previous  year. 

The  year  1896  saw  the  erection  of  a  new  combined  outside 
amusement  hall  and  chapel,  the  space  thus  freed  being  converted 
into  dormitories  to  accommodate  45  additional  patients.  There 
was  still  lack  of  room,  however,  and  in  the  report  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Public  Works  for  1900  we  find  the  provincial  engineer 
complaining  bitterly  of  the  want  of  accommodation  for  the 
insane  in  the  following  terms :  "  The  accommodation  of  the 
asylums  at  Selkirk  and  Brandon  is  taxed  to  its  utmost  capacity. 
The  Home  for  Incurables  is  filled,  and  applicants  are  waiting 
their  turn  for  admission.  Increased  accommodation  in  the  above 
institutions  is  absolutely  necessary."  This  statement  is  empha- 
sized by  the  superintendents  of  the  establishments  referred  to, 
whose  reports  are  included  in  the  same  brochure.^ 

Of  the  structure  as  originally  designed,  only  the  south  wing 
and  a  part  of  the  center  building  had  been  completed  at  the  time 
of  occupation,  and,  to  increase  the  capacity  of  the  asylum,  it  was 
determined  to  finish  and  augment  the  size  of  the  latter.  The 
work  of  excavation  for  foundations  was  begun  on  July  i,  1902, 
and  by  November  the  new  structure  was  roofed  in,  being  occupied 
early  in  1903.  This  addition  perfected  the  center  building  and 
provided  housing  for  93  more  patients.  It  was  four  stories  in 
height,  including  the  basement,  and  finished  o&  to  correspond 

*Up  to  1887  the  asylum  system  of  the  province  had  been  under  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  Attorney-General.  It  was  then  placed  under  that  of 
the  Department  of  Public  Works,  where  it  still  remains. 


30  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE    OF  THE   INSANE 

with  the  other  parts  of  the  institution,  the  basement  being  of 
native  limestone  and  the  superstructure  of  white  brick  with  red 
facings.  On  the  first  floor  were  located  the  offices  and  reception 
rooms,  with  accommodation  for  35  female  patients ;  the  second 
floor  contained  the  officers'  quarters  and  rooms  for  23  patients ; 
the  third  story  had  accommodation  for  35  male  patients.  The 
design  was  the  work  of  Mr.  S.  Hooper,  while  the  contractors 
were  Messrs.  Wood  &  Mitchell.  A  new  power  house,  laundry 
and  stable  were  also  erected  during  the  same  period. 

This  addition  was  a  great  boon,  as  set  forth  by  Dr.  Young, 
who  says  in  his  annual  report :  ^ 

A  point  of  great  importance  is  the  improved  classification  that  will 
result,  as  the  new  wards  can  be  completely  shut  off  from  the  others.  The 
basement  will  be  used  for  officers'  dining  room,  sitting  room,  cold  storage, 
work  shop  and  storage  room.  There  will  also  be  a  large  tank  for  soft 
water  under  the  cold  storage  room.  There  is  an  iron  stairway  from 
basement  to  attic.  The  attic  is  large,  roomy  and  well  lighted.  On  the 
east  side  there  is  a  veranda,  40  feet  long,  closed  in  with  glass  in  the 
winter  and  with  mosquito  netting  in  the  summer,  which  will  be  greatly 
appreciated  by  the  lady  patients.  Provision  is  thus  made  for  those  requir- 
ing treatment  in  the  immediate  future,  but,  if  the  population  of  the  province 
increases  as  rapidly  as  we  expect,  it  will  not  be  long  till  it  will  be  necessary 
to  add  another  wing. 

Dr.  Young's  prediction  as  to  the  need  for  additional  room  was 
verified  more  speedily  than  even  he  had  anticipated,  and  in  his 
report  for  1904  we  find  him. writing  as  follows:^  "All  our  beds 
are  now  occupied  and  it  has  again  become  necessary  to  accom- 
modate some  patients  with  cots  on  the  corridors.  Till  the  new 
building  at  Brandon  is  ready  for  occupation  there  will  be  the 
greatest  difficulty  to  provide  for  those  that  require  treatment." 
Again,  in  his  report  for  1909  he  says :  °  "The  accommodation 
has  been  taxed  to  the  utmost  to  provide  for  those  needing  care 
and  treatment.  The  large  increase  in  the  number  of  patients  is 
due  entirely  to  the  great  increase  in  the  general  population,  not 
only  in  this  province,  but  in  Saskatchewan  and  Alberta.  The 
asylums  at  Selkirk  and  Brandon  now  accommodate  all  the  insane 
from  the  country  between  the  western  boundary  of  Ontario  and 

^  Report  of  the  Department  of  Public  Works  for  the  year  1902,  page  25. 
*  Report  of  the  Department  of  PubHc  Works  for  the  year  ending  Decem- 
ber 31,  1904,  page  16. 
'Ibid.,  for  the  year  1909,  page  25. 


MANITOBA  31 

the  eastern  boundary  of  British  Columbia,  containing  a  popula- 
tion estimated  at  over  1,000,000.  The  ratio  of  insane  to  the 
general  population  has  increased  very  little  in  late  years,  and  is 
very  much  lower  than  in  the  east  and  south,  or  in  older  countries." 

To  meet  this  pressing  state  of  affairs,  in  1909  plans  were  pre- 
pared to  complete  the  original  design  by  the  construction  of  the 
north  wing,  and  a  contract  for  the  work  was  awarded  to  Messrs. 
Thomas  Kelly  &  Sons,  of  Winnipeg.  Plans  were  also  gotten  out 
for  a  new  cold  storage  building  and  a  power  plant.  Ground  was 
broken  at  once,  and  by  December,  191 1,  the  new  wing  was  so  far 
advanced  that  the  patients  were  able  to  occupy  it.  It  was  a  three- 
story  structure,  with  basement  and  attic,  made  as  nearly  fireproof 
as  possible,  and  in  design  was  a  continuation  of  the  parent  edifice. 
Underneath  the  basement  a  tunnel,  extending  the  whole  length 
of  the  building,  was  connected  with  each  corridor  and  room  by 
flues.  By  this  means  fresh  air,  after  being  heated  by  passing 
through  tempering  coils,  was  forced  to  every  part  of  the  building 
by  an  electrically  driven  fan,  the  foul  air  being  sucked  up  and 
forced  out  above  the  roof  by  another  fan  located  in  the  attic.  By 
this  addition  room  was  provided  for  180  additional  patients  at  a 
cost  of  about  $180,000. 

A  further  addition  was  made  to  the  rear  of  the  central  portion 
of  the  main  building  in  the  years  1913  and  1914.  This  consisted 
of  storage  rooms,  kitchen,  male  and  female  dining  rooms,  and 
two  hospital  wards  with  sun  galleries,  one  for  men  and  one  for 
women.  A  detached  brick  morgue,  18  feet  by  14  feet,  was  also 
provided,  the  estimated  cost  of  the  whole  being  about  $125,000. 

Roughly  speaking,  as  it  now  stands  the  general  layout  of  the 
Selkirk  Hospital  is  the  time-honored  one  of  a  central  administra- 
tion building,  four  stories  in  height,  with  wings  extending  to  the 
north  and  south,  each  three  stories  high  above  the  basement,  and 
each  story  on  either  side  embracing  a  ward.  The  stores,  kitchen, 
hospitals  and  dining  rooms,  of  which  there  are  six,  two  for 
women  and  four  for  men,  are  in  rear  of  the  central  portion  of  the 
structure.  The  water  supply,  which  is  ample,  is  obtained  from  a 
well  275  feet  deep  sunk  on  the  premises ;  the  heating  throughout 
the  establishment  is  steam  and  the  lighting  electric ;  sewage  is 
carried  to  the  Red  River ;  the  medical  superintendent  has  a 
separate  residence,  built  in  1891.  The  present  population  of  the 
institution  is  356  and  its  capacity  450. 


32  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE    OF   THE   INSANE 

BRANDON  ASYLUM. 

Brandon,  Man. 

Work  on  Brandon  Asylum,  now  the  Brandon  Hospital  for 
the  Insane,  was  commenced  in  1890,  the  building-  being  opened 
in  July,  1 891.  The  establishment,  a  brick  and  stone  structure, 
was  very  similar  in  design  to  that  at  Selkirk.  The  internal  con- 
struction, however,  was  much  inferior,  being  very  far  from  fire- 
proof. In  evidence  of  this  we  have  the  report  of  the  government 
engineer  for  1900,  wherein  he  speaks  of  it  to  the  following  effect :  ^ 
"  The  division  walls  on  the  wards  are  of  ordinary  studding  and 
lath  and  plaster,  with  narrow  baseboards,  while  the  floors  are  not 
watertight,  so  that  any  nuisances  committed  affect  the  ceilings 
below ;  the  plumbing  throughout  is  bad  and  the  water  closets 
defective;  the  fire  protection  and  water  supply,  as  well  as  the 
heating,  are  also  quite  inadequate." 

The  site  selected  was  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Assiniboine 
River,  near  Brandon,  a  city  located  on  the  Canadian  Pacific 
Railway,  toward  the  western  border  of  the  province.  For  scenic 
beauty  it  was  well  chosen,  commanding  as  it  does  an  extensive 
view  of  the  river  valley  and  the  city. 

The  institution  was  first  placed  in  charge  of  Dr.  Gordon  Bell, 
who  was  appointed  medical  superintendent  in  1891,  and  continued 
in  office  up  to  1895,  when  he  resigned  to  enter  private  practice  at 
Winnipeg.  Dr.  Bell  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  N.  B.  Gillies.  He  in 
1900  gave  place  to  Dr.  J.  J.  McFadden,  who  had  charge  up  to 
1903.  In  the  latter  year  Dr.  J.  J.  Anderson  assumed  the  duties 
of  office,  his  reign  extending  up  to  1909,  when  Dr.  McFadden 
again  took  up  the  government,  which  he  still  retains. 

Before  it  had  been  opened  two  years  the  hospital  was  much 
overcrowded,  and  in  1902  we  find  the  then  superintendent.  Dr. 
McFadden,  reporting  as  follows  : ' 

The  necessity  for  providing  more  and  better  accommodation  for  the 
reception  of  patients  at  the  Brandon  Asylum  must  be  apparent  to  anyone 
who  during  the  past  year  has  visited  the  institution.  With  a  daily  average 
of  266  patients  for  the  year  1902,  the  natural  increase  as  the  country 
becomes  more  densely  populated,  and  the  prospect  of  an  unusual  immigra- 
tion during  1903,  I  am  of  opinion  that  either  new  buildings  should  be 
erected  or  additions  made  to  the  present  one. 

^  Report  of  the  Department  of  Public  Works  for  the  year  1900,  page  24. 
'Ibid.,  for  the  year  1902,  page  34. 


MANITOBA  33 

In  the  erection  of  such  building  or  buildings  due  regard  should  be  given 
to  the  comfort,  welfare  and  treatment  of  the  patients,  by  which  I  mean 
that  more  single  rooms  are  required,  a  proper  system  of  ventilation  is 
without  doubt  indispensable,  and  provision  should  be  made  for  an  operat- 
ing room,  the  use  of  which  would  relieve  the  suffering  of  many  an  unfor- 
tunate. The  new  addition  or  buildings  should  also  be  so  planned  that 
patients  could  be  properly  classified,  giving  some  regard  to  those  patients 
whose  friends  are  desirous  of  having  them  placed  in  a  private  ward,  and 
paying  therefor  an  extra  sum. 

Acting  on  this  report,  in  May,  1903,  tenders  were  asked  for 
the  erection  of  an  addition,  to  cost  about  $90,000,  and  before  the 
arrival  of  winter  the  foundations  were  in  and  the  walls  carried 
up  to  the  ground  level.  The  construction  of  a  sewer  from  the 
asylum  to  the  river,  a  long-felt  want,  was  also  got  well  under 
way,  being  completed  in  1904,  as  was  a  new  fireproof  boiler 
house.  The  additional  wing,-  to  house  150  patients,  was  finished, 
furnished  and  occupied  early  in  1905. 

In  1908  again  came  the  cry  for  more  room,  the  assistant  medical 
superintendent,  Dr.  J.  B.  Chambers,  reporting  as  follows:^ 

The  normal  sleeping  capacity  of  the  institution  for  patients  is  420  beds. 
As  our  population  is  now  557,  this  means  that  we  have  137  more  patients 
than  we  can  normally  accommodate.  They  are  disposed  of  in  the  female 
wards  by  crowding  the  existing  dormitories  to  the  extent  of  40  beds  addi- 
tional, and  by  placing  8  beds  on  stair  landings  and  in  halls ;  and  in  the 
male  wards  by  placing  67  beds  in  the  assembly  hall  at  the  top  of  the  new 
building,  by  making  10  beds  on  the  floors  of  the  day  sitting  rooms,  and  by 
crowding  existing  dormitories  to  the  extent  of  12  beds  additional.  To 
relieve  this  congestion  something  should  be  done,  either  in  the  way  of 
building  a  superintendent's  residence,  which  would  make  available  the 
quarters  now  occupied  by  him  in  the  new  building,  and  by  the  erection 
of  two  or  more  cottages,  or  by  the  building  of  an  administration  building 
as  suggested  by  my  report  last  year. 

To  remedy  this  regrettable  state  of  affairs,  in  1909  a  residence 
was  built  for  the  superintendent,  his  old  quarters  being  converted 
to  the  use  of  patients,  but  in  spite  of  this  there  were  more  than 
enough  admissions  to  fill  all  the  vacant  beds  in  the  institution. 

On  the  evening  of  November  4,  19 10,  the  entire  hospital  was 
destroyed  by  fire,  the  origin  of  which  could  not  be  discovered. 
Fortunately  the  disaster  was  not  attended  with  any  loss  of  life 
or   injury,  although   the  night   was  a  bitterly   cold  one.     The 

^Report  of  the  Department  of  Public  Works  for  the  year  1908,  page  27. 

4 


34  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

Winter  Fair  building  was  at  once  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the 
government  by  its  directors,  and  the  patients  temporarily  but 
comfortably  housed  therein,  while  plans  were  immediately  got 
under  way  for  a  new  hospital,  to  be  of  fireproof  construction 
throughout,  with  pressed  brick  and  cut-stone  walls,  metal  roof, 
iron  stairways,  elevators,  and  fully  equipped  for  hospital  pur- 
poses with  the  most  modern  plumbing,  ventilating  and  heating, 
the  last  to  be  supplied  from  a  power  plant  apart  from  the  hospital 
buildings,  pipes  passing  thereto  through  a  tunnel.  It  was  designed 
to  have  a  frontage  of  425  feet  with  two  additional  wings,  and  to 
be  three  stories  high  with  basement.  Accommodation  was  to  be 
provided  for  1000  patients  at  an  estimated  cost  of  $1,000,000. 
The  work  of  erection  was  begun  early  in  the  spring  of  1911,  and 
on  December  2,  191 2,  the  patients  were  moved  from  the  Winter 
Fair  building  to  their  new  quarters.  The  formal  opening  was 
held  in  February,  1913.^    The  present  population  is  485. 


HOME  FOR  INCURABLES. 
Portage  la  Prairie. 

This  institution,  located  at  Portage  la  Prairie,  a  town  some  50 
miles  west  of  Winnipeg,  was  opened  in  June,  1890.  It  was  not 
really  intended  for  mental  cases,  but  owing  to  the  lack  of  room 
in  the  Selkirk  Asylum,  there  were  transferred  to  it  therefrom,  on 
its  opening,  some  17  quiet  patients  of  the  idiotic  type.  This 
action,  combined  with  the  fact  that  imbeciles  and  idiots  are  by 
law  non-admissible  to  the  insane  hospitals,  has  led  to  the  adoption 
of  a  part  of  it  ever  since  as  a  refuge  for  harmless  patients  of  these 
classes. 

Like  the  insane  institutions,  it  was  speedily  filled,  and  we  find 
Dr.  S.  B.  Cowan,  attending  physician,  stating  as  follows,  in  his 
report  for  1901 :  ^ 

Last  year  I  drew  your  attention  to  the  matter  of  the  institution  being 
overcrowded.     It  is  still  more  so  this  year.     The  number  of  patients  at 


*At  the  same  time  there  were  constructed  a  fireproof  stores  building, 
with  an  area  of  32  feet  by  62  feet;  a  laundry  covering  an  area  of  60 
feet  by  94  feet,  also  fireproof ;  a  morgue  14  feet  by  20  feet,  and  five  one- 
story  cottages  for  the  use  of  employees. 

^  Report  of  the  Department  of  Public  Works  for  the  year  1901,  page  45. 


MANITOBA  35 

the  end  of  the  year  was  io8,  and  this  year  it  is  115.  By  still  crowding  in 
more  beds  we  might  admit  three  or  four  more.  This  state  of  affairs 
cannot  go  on  much  longer,  and  it  is  evident  that  the  building  is  too  small. 
At  present  we  have  about  35  idiots  in  the  building.  The  result  of  this  is 
that  a  part  of  the  building  is  rendered  insanitary  through  its  proximity  to 
them.  I  cannot  speak  too  strongly  against  this  arrangement,  and  think  it 
should  be  remedied  as  soon  as  possible.  If  a  separate  building  were  erected 
for  these  patients  it  would  correct  the  trouble,  and  also  give  us  more  room 
for  other  patients. 

To  relieve  the  overcrowding,  the  erection  of  a  new  wing  to 
shelter  69  patients  was  determined  upon,  the  work  being  com- 
pleted in  1905. 

Despite  this  substantial  increase  in  room,  we  find  the  superin- 
tendent, Mr.  W.  P.  Smith,  in  his  report  for  1907^  calling  for 
more  in  the  following  words  : 

Although  it  is  only  a  little  over  two  years  since  the  new  wing  was  added, 
our  institution  is  crowded  to  its  utmost  capacity;  and  I  would  suggest  that 
the  superintendent  have  a  separate  residence,  and  his  present  apartments 
be  used  to  relieve  the  crowded  situation. 

This  suggestion  was  acted  upon  during  the  following  year. 

In  1908  plans  were  prepared  for  the  construction  of  an  "  old 
folks'  home,"  to  be  run  in  connection  with  the  Home  for  Incur- 
ables, which  had  become  so  overcrowded  as  to  necessitate  the 
rental  of  a  neighboring  cottage  for  the  overflow.  Work  thereon 
was  begun,  the  structure,  after  much  delay,  being  occupied  on 
December  4,  191 2.  The  building,  four  stories  in  height,  was  of 
solid  brick  and  stone  and  reinforced  concrete  construction. 

Though  improved  by  this  welcome  addition,  the  condition  of 
the  idiots  still  left  much  to  be  desired,  and  we  find  Dr.  H.  A. 
Gordon,  attending  physician,  complaining  of  this  as  follows,  in 
his  report  for  1913.^ 

The  building  at  present  occupied  by  the  idiots  and  imbeciles  is  certainly 
inadequate  to  accommodate  these  patients  properly,  and  it  will  be  absolutely 
necessary  that  the  government  at  once  provide  a  suitable  building  or  build- 
ings for  housing  these  patients.  This  should  be  done  with  a  view  to  prop- 
erly segregating  the  different  types  of  these  diseases  as  far  as  possible, 
as  well  as  providing  for  the  highest  degree  of  sanitation. 

Whether  Dr.  Gordon's  ideas  will  be  carried  out,  and  if  so,  how 
soon,  remains  to  be  seen. 

*  Report  of  the  Department  of  Public  Works  for  the  year  1907,  page  56. 
''Ibid.,  for  the  year  ending  November  30,  1913,  page  iii. 


36  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

From  the  foregoing  it  will  be  seen  that  the  two  hospitals, 
Selkirk  and  Brandon,  have  accommodation  for  1500  patients, 
while  their  population  at  the  present  time  is  only  841,  a  rather 
unusual  and  enviable  position  for  an  asylum  system  to  be  in. 
This  condition  was  brought  about  by  the  opening  of  the  Alberta 
and  Saskatchewan  institutions  in  191 1  and  1914  respectiveh',  and 
the  removal  of  their  patients,  who  up  to  those  years  had  been 
cared  for  in  the  Manitoban  hospitals.  However,  with  the  de- 
velopment and  settlement  of  new  territory  by  the  expected  influx 
of  immigrants  it  will  probably  be  only  a  few  years  before  the  old, 
well-known  cry  for  new  buildings  will  appear  again  in  the  annual 
reports. 

The  system  of  management  in  the  Manitoban  asylums  is  similar 
to  that  in  use  in  Ontario,  they  being  under  the  supervision  of  an 
inspector,  who  is  directly  responsible  to  the  government.  Both 
institutions  are  conducted  on  non-restraint  principles,  and  in  both 
agricultural  pursuits  form  the  chief  mode  of  employment.  Pa- 
tients from  the  Yukon  and  Northwest  territories  are  no  longer 
accepted,  British  Columbia  taking  charge  of  the  former,  and  the 
Ponoka  and  Battleford  asylums,  of  Alberta  and  Saskatchewan 
respectively,  of  the  latter. 

Every  person  admitted  who  is  in  a  position  to  do  so  or  has 
relatives  liable  and  financially  able  has  to  pay  for  maintenance. 
In  the  case  of  destitute  patients  the  province  pays  all  expenses. 
No  diflference  is  made  in  any  respect  in  the  care  and  treatment  of 
the  two  classes.  Patients  from  the  still  unorganized  portion  of 
the  province  (formerly  Keewatin)  and  all  treaty  Indians  are 
paid  for  by  the  Dominion  Government. 


THE  CARE  OF  THE  INSANE  IN   NEW  BRUNSWICK. 

PROVINCIAL  HOSPITAL. 

St.  John,  N.  B. 

To  New  Brunswick  is  due  the  honor  of  having  been  the  first 
of  the  old  British  North  American  provinces  to  make  special 
provision  for  its  insane. 

While  the  population  of  the  province  was  yet  sparse  and  the 
insane  but  few  in  number  each  county  cared  for  its  insane  as 
best  it  could,  the  law  authorizing  "  any  two  justices  of  the  peace 
to  issue  a  warrant  for  the  apprehension  of  a  lunatic  or  mad 
person,  and  cause  him  to  be  kept  safely  locked  in  some  secure 
place,  directed  and  appointed  by  them,  and,  if  they  deemed  it 
necessary,  to  be  chained."  ^  Under  this  law  the  indigent  insane 
were  confined  in  jails  and  poorhouses,  while  those  able  to  bear 
the  expense  were  sent  abroad. 

In  the  early  thirties  the  lunatics  in  county  institutions  had 
increased  to  such  an  extent,  and  at  the  same  time  there  were  so 
many  others  scattered  throughout  the  province  whose  friends 
were  desirous  of  having  them  cared  for,  that  it  became  absolutely 
necessary  to  make  some  proper  provision  for  their  accommoda- 
tion. We  find,  accordingly,  from  the  minute  books  of  the  old 
Sessions  of  the  Peace  that  at  the  session  held  on  the  first  Tuesday 
in  September,  1835,  ^  committee  was  appointed  to  prepare  a  peti- 
tion to  the  Legislature  "  for  the  passing  of  a  law  for  the  better 
providing  for  and  securing  of  lunatics  within  the  province."  On 
the  first  Tuesday  in  December  following,  the  mayor  submitted 
the  draft  of  a  petition  for  the  establishment  of  a  provincial  lunatic 
asylum,  as  prepared  by  this  committee.  It  was  read,  approved 
and  handed  to  Mr.  Robinson,  M.  P.  P.,  to  present. 

N.  B. — For  much  of  the  material  embodied  in  this  sketch  credit  is  due 
to  Dr.  J.  V.  Anglin,  medical  superintendent  of  the  Provincial  Hospital  at 
St,  John,  N.  B.,  it  being  the  product  of  his  untiring  researches  into  early 
documents. 

^  Appendix  to  Journals  of  House  of  Assembly  of  New  Brunswick,  1875. 
Report  of  the  medical  superintendent  of  the  Provincial  Lunatic  Asylum 
for  the  year  1874. 


38  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE    OF   THE   INSANE 

As  a  result  of  this  action,  we  find  in  the  Journals  of  the  House 
of  Assembly,  which  House,  by  command  of  the  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor and  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Province,  Major  General 
Sir  Archibald  Campbell,  Baronet,  G.  C.  B.,  met  at  Fredericton 
for  the  despatch  of  business  on  the  20th  of  January,  1836,  the 
earliest  reference  by  its  law-makers  to  an  institution  especially 
devoted  to  the  care  of  the  insane  of  the  province,  although  that 
was  the  third  session  of  the  Eleventh  New  Brunswick  General 
Assembly.  The  first  recorded  mention  of  an  asylum  in  the 
House  was  on  Friday,  29th  January  following,  when  Mr,  Robin- 
son, by  leave,  presented  a  petition  from  the  justices  of  the  peace 
for  the  County  of  Saint  John,  praying  that  an  act  might  pass 
for  the  building  and  providing  for  a  provincial  lunatic  asylum. 
A  petition  to  the  same  effect,  also  by  leave,  was  presented  by  Mr. 
Weldon,  M.  P.  P.,  from  John  Wheaton,  George  Pagan,  Esquires, 
and  others,  magistrates  and  inhabitants  of  the  County  of  Kent. 
These  were  read  and  it  was  ordered  that  they  should  be  received 
and  laid  on  the  table. 

Later  in  the  day  Mr.  Robinson  moved  for  leave  to  bring  in  a 
bill  for  the  establishment  of  a  provincial  lunatic  asylum,  and, 
leave  being  granted,  the  bill  was  brought  in  and  read  a  first  time. 
It  was  read  for  the  second  time  on  February  i,  and  on  February 
6,  the  House  went  into  committee  of  the  whole  upon  it,  with  Mr. 
Weldon  in  the  chair  of  the  committee.  The  chairman,  reporting 
progress,  asked  leave  to  sit  again,  which  was  granted. 

On  February  1 1  Mr.  Robinson  moved  "  That  the  House  do 
now  resolve  itself  into  committee  of  the  whole,  in  further  con- 
sideration of  a  bill  for  establishing  a  provincial  lunatic  asylum,"  * 
whereupon  Mr.  Weldon  moved  in  amendment  "  That  the  further 
consideration  of  the  said  bill  be  postponed  until  the  next  session 
of  the  General  Assembly."  ^  The  amendment  being  carried,  Mr. 
Weldon  introduced  the  following  resolution: 

Resolved,  That  an  humble  address  be  presented  to  His  Excellency,  the 
Lieutenant-Governor,  praying  that  His  Excellency  will  be  pleased  to  appoint 
commissioners  to  ascertain  the  most  eligible  site  near  the  City  of  St.  John 
for  a  provincial  lunatic  asylum,  together  with  a  plan  of  the  same  and  an 
estimate  of  the  probable  cost  of  land  and  the  erection  of  such  buildings, 

*  Journals  of  the  House  of  Assembly  of  New  Brunswick,  1836. 
*Ibid. 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  39 

etc.,  as  may  be  required  for  the  same,  and  also  any  information  they  may 
be  able  to  obtain  relative  to  the  management  of  similar  institutions.^ 

Mr.  Weldon,  Mr.  Harrington  and  Mr.  Robinson  were  named 
as  a  committee  to  wait  upon  His  Excellency  with  the  address,  the 
result  being  that  Messrs.  Charles  Simonds,  John  Robertson, 
W.  H.  Street,  Thomas  Barlow,  Thomas  Paddock  and  the  Rev. 
Frederick  Coster  were  appointed  commissioners  to  select  a  site 
for  a  permanent  asylum,  prepare  a  plan  of  the  proposed  structure, 
and  estimate  the  probable  cost  of  land  and  building. 

The  case,  however,  was  too  urgent  to  await  the  shilly-shally- 
ing action  of  the  Legislature ;  consequently,  as  a  temporary  ex- 
pedient, at  the  suggestion  of  Dr.  George  P.  Peters  a  small  wooden 
building  in  the  City  of  St.  John,  originally  erected  as  a  cholera 
hospital  in  1832,  was  converted  into  an  asylum  for  lunatics.  For 
a  description  of  the  structure  we  are  indebted  to  a  letter  of  Dr. 
Peters',  dated  November  28,  1836.    Herein  it  is  stated : 

The  lower  part  of  the  building  has  been  divided  into  two  sides,  one  for 
the  males  and  the  other  for  the  females.  For  the  purpose  of  separating 
as  much  as  possible  the  more  violent  from  those  who  appear  inclined  to 
conduct  themselves  in  a  moderate  way,  these  sides  have  been  subdivided: 
the  male  side  into  a  day  room  (if  a  mere  passage  can  be  so  called)  and 
five  sleeping  rooms ;  the  female  side  into  a  similar  day  room  and  four 
sleeping  rooms. 

This  institution,  the  first  of  the  kind  in  Canada,  was  situated 
on  Leinster  Street,  at  the  corner  of  Wentworth  Street,  in  rear  of 
the  Centenary  Church,  and  not  far  from  the  present  jail  premises.' 
It  continued  in  operation  for  a  little  over  13  years.  The  date  of 
its  opening  was  November  14,  1835.  For  evidence  of  this  we 
have  the  old  minute  books  before  referred  to.  From  these  we 
learn  that  at  the  June  session,  1836,  the  grand  jury  reports  having 

^Journals  of  House  of  Assembly  of  New  Brunswick,  1836. 

'  Mr.  G.  F.  Matthew,  of  St.  John,  the  distinguished  scientist,  and  a  son 
of  the  Mr.  George  Matthew  who  did  such  excellent  service  for  the  care 
of  the  insane  in  New  Brunswick,  and  was  the  original  superintendent  of 
the  estabhshment,  writes  as  follows  under  date  October  14,  1905 : 

"The  frontispiece  of  your  brochure  ('Canadian  Institutions  for  the 
Insane')  recalls  ancient  memories.  The  old  lunatic  asylum  was  a  familiar 
recollection  of  my  childhood.  We  lived  but  a  few  blocks  from  it,  and  I 
have  been  more  than  once  inside  the  high  fence  that  enclosed  it,  and  well 
remembered  how  frightened  I  was  at  the  mutterings  and  declaiming  of 
its  unfortunate  inmates." 


40  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

visited  the  jail,  the  poorhouse  and  the  lunatic  asylum,  and  having 
been  much  gratified  with  the  inspection ;  while  at  the  session  of 
March  14,  1837,^  mention  is  made  of  the  "  lunatic  accounts,"  with 
this  memorandum :  "  These  comprise  the  whole  expenditure  on 
lunatics  in  this  parish  (St.  John  City),  as  well  as  those  received 
from  the  parishes  of  Carleton,  Lancaster  and  Portland,  from  No- 
vember 14,  1835,  to  31st  December,  1836."  The  sum  stated  is 
£695  6s.  lod.,  nearly  half  of  which  sum  was  incurred  in  necessary 
improvements  and  in  furnishing  the  hospital  to  adapt  it  to  its 
new  uses.  Additional  evidence  of  the  date  of  opening  is  afforded 
by  the  fact  that  among  the  appropriations  by  the  House  of 
Assembly,  in  1837,  appears  the  following: 

To  the  justices  of  the  peace  of  the  City  and  County  of  St.  John,  i6oo  to 
reimburse  the  overseers  of  the  poor  of  the  said  city  for  expenses  incurred 
in  providing  and  fitting  up  a  temporary  asylum  for  lunatics  and  for  the 
support  of  lunatics  in  the  same  from  the  14th  day  of  November,  in  the 
year  1835,  to  the  31st  day  of  December,  in  the  year  1836. 

Up  to  toward  the  close  of  the  year  1843  the  establishment  was 
under  the  charge  of  Mr.  Geo.  Matthew,  then  overseer  of  the 
poor,  with  Dr.  Peters  as  visiting  medical  officer.  In  that  year  it 
was  first  styled  the  Provincial  Lunatic  Asylum,  and  was  placed 
in  the  care  of  a  board  of  commissioners  consisting  of  Wm.  Jack, 
Esq.,  George  Matthew,  Esq.,  and  Dr.  Peters.  The  last  named 
acted  also  as  medical  superintendent.  This  board,  on  which  John 
Ward,  Esq.,  Jr.,  replaced  Mr.  Matthew  in  1844,  continued  in 
charge  of  the  institution  up  to  its  close. 

During  the  first  13^  months  of  its  existence,  namely,  from 
November  14,  1835,  to  December  31,  1836,  31  inmates  were 
admitted  into  the  temporary  asylum.  When  abandoned  in  1848, 
652  patients  had  received  the  benefits  of  its  treatment.  A  record 
preserved  in  the  sessions  of  the  peace  minute  book  states  that  up 

*  At  this  session  a  report  was  received  from  Mr.  George  Matthew,  giving 
a  history  of  the  asylum  and  its  progress  to  that  date.  Unfortunately  this 
report  was  not  put  on  the  minutes  and  is  not  discoverable,  in  spite  of  a 
careful  search  of  the  vault  in  the  clerk's  office  made  by  Mr.  W.  K.  Reynolds, 
of  St.  John,  and  others.  It  is  probable  that  this,  with  many  other  old  and 
valuable  documents,  was  stored  somewhere  outside  the  vault  at  the  time 
of  the  great  fire  of  1877,  and  that  it  was  then  destroyed. 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  4I 

to  the  31st  of  December,  of  the  31  admissions  "  there  have  been 
discharged :  cured,  6 ;  improved,  5 ;  to  friends  not  improved,  2 ; 
died,  4.  Of  the  remaining  14,  i  is  much  improved,  2  perceptibly 
improved  and  11  without  any  visible  improvement."  From  the 
same  source  we  can  judge  that  more  or  less  restraint  was  em- 
ployed in  the  institution,  inasmuch  as  Mr.  Matthew,  in  submitting 
some  accounts,  remarked  that  these  were  for  actual  expenses 
attending  the  keeping,  and  that  no  allowance  was  made  for  de- 
struction of  house,  or  for  furniture,  including  straight  jackets. 
In  addition  to  restraint,  some  of  the  details  of  the  itemized 
accounts,  as  witness  the  following,  are  highly  suggestive  of  the 
times  and  of  the  methods  of  treatment,  in  which  blood-letting 
must  have  played  a  considerable  part,  and  baths  and  light  must 
have  been  luxuries : 

W.  McBay,  for  12  hogsheads  of  water  (for  one  month),  £1,  15  shillings. 

W.  Hammond,  for  30  pounds  rush  lights,  10  pence  per  pound,  £1,  5 
shillings. 

Harris  and  Allen,  for  8  tin  bleeding  cups  and  i  tin  pan,  7  shillings  and 
6  pence. 

D.  Collins   (saddler),  for  3  hand  mufflers,  £1,  15  shillings. 

G.  T.  Ray,  for  12  straight  waistcoats  at  20  shillings  each,  £12. 

This  asylum  was  justly  considered  an  improvement  on  the  jail 
and  poorhouse  plan  of  caring  for  the  insane,  but  was  ultimately 
found  altogether  inadequate  to  meet  the  wants  of  these  unfor- 
tunates. 

A  little  over  a  year  after  the  opening  of  the  temporary  asylum, 
namely,  December  2,  1836,  the  commissioners  appointed  for  the 
purpose  presented  an  exhaustive  report,  the  work  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Coster,  concerning  the  erection  of  a  fitting  asylum.  It  embraced 
all  the  subjects  referred  to  them  for  consideration.  It  computed 
the  number  of  lunatics  in  the  province  to  be  130,  not  50  as  was  at 
first  supposed,  or  i  in  every  1000  of  the  population,  and  recom- 
mended as  suitable  sites  either  Poverty  Hall,  about  six  miles 
northeast  of  the  City  of  St.  John,  or  South  Bay,  a  few  miles  up 
the  St.  John  River.  It  estimated  the  cost  of  buildings  at  about 
£8000,  furniture  £2000,  and  land  from  £700  to  £1500,  according 
to  the  quantity  purchased,  and  dealt  with  questions  of  mainte- 
nance, amusement,  religious  instruction  and  possibilities  of  cure. 


42  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

Accompanying  the  report  was  a  plan  for  the  proposed  structure, 
a  modification  of  the  Asylum  at  Worcester,  Mass."" 

This  report  was  laid  before  the  House  by  the  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor, through  the  Hon.  Mr.  Baillie,  a  member  of  the  Executive 
Council,  on  December  27,  and  on  motion  of  Mr.  Johnston  it  was 
"Ordered,  that  150  copies  thereof  be  printed  for  the  use  of  the 
Legislature." 

On  the  loth  of  February  following  (1837)  it  was  ordered 
"  that  the  report  be  accepted,"  and  resolved,  "  that  it  be  referred 
to  the  Committee  of  Supply." 

The  customary  squabbling  as  to  the  selection  of  a  site  seems 
to  have  at  once  begun,  each  member  of  the  House  who  had  "  an 
axe  to  grind  "  advocating  his  own  views.  The  result  was  that 
seven  days  later  Mr.  Johnston  moved  the  following  resolution, 
which  was  carried: 

Whereas,  In  pursuance  of  an  address  to  His  Excellency  the  Lieutenant- 
Governor  at  the  last  session  commissioners  were  appointed  to  ascertain  the 
most  eligible  site  near  the  City  of  St.  John  for  a  provincial  lunatic  asylum, 
and  to  prepare  a  plan  of  the  same,  and  an  estimate  of  the  probable  cost  of 
land,  and  the  erection  of  such  buildings  as  may  be  required  for  such  pur- 
pose ;   and, 

Whereas,  The  commissioners  have  given  the  information  sought  for,  but 
doubts  are  now  entertained  by  the  House  whether  the  climate  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  St.  John  is  well  adapted  for  such  an  establishment,  and 
whether  a  building  on  a  smaller  scale,  and  consequently  at  much  less  cost, 
could  not  be  erected,  and  land  procured  on  the  St.  John  River  or  some 
other  place  in  the  province  containing  all  the  requisite  qualifications  for 
such  an  establishment;  therefore. 

Resolved,  That  the  commissioners  already  appointed  be  requested  to 
extend  their  enquiries  for  a  site  to  the  said  River  St.  John,  and  other  parts 
of  the  province,  and  have  plans  prepared  for  a  building  suitable  to  the  state 
of  this  colony — the  estimated  cost  of  which  shall  not  exceed  £3500;  and 
that  they  report  the  result  to  His  Excellency  the  Lieutenant-Governor,  to 
be  laid  before  the  Legislature  at  the  next  session.^ 

The  first  session  of  the  12th  General  Assembly  began  on 
December  28,  1837.  It  was  summoned  to  meet  thus  early  in  the 
winter  because  of  the  rebellion  in  Lower  Canada,  and  the  sym- 
pathy therewith  manifest  on  the  United  States  frontier.    In  addi- 

^  See  Appendix  A  from  Journals  of  House  of  Assembly  of  New  Bruns- 
wick, Appendix  No.  3,  1836-37,  with  accompanying  letters. 

^  Journal  of  the  House  of  Assembly  of  New  Brunswick  for  the  session 
from  December  20,  1836,  to  March  i,  1837. 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  43 

tion,  it  is  to  be  noted  that,  because  of  the  King's  death,  there  had 
been  a  general  election  in  1837,  and  some  new  members,  non- 
conversant  with  the  asylum  question,  returned  to  the  House. 

On  January  22,  1838,  Mr.  Partelow  presented  a  petition  from 
the  justices  of  the  peace  of  the  City  and  County  of  St.  John, 
praying  to  be  reimbursed  for  expenses  incurred  in  the  support  of 
the  temporary  asylum  during  the  previous  year,  and  on  February 
20  they  were  granted  iii8i  2s.  3d.  to  remunerate  them  for  money 
advanced  and  actual  expenses  incurred.  Mr.  Partelow  also  laid 
before  the  House  reports  from  Dr.  Peters,  visiting  medical 
officer,  and  Mr.  Geo.  Matthew,  principal  governor  and  superin- 
tendent of  the  institution.  Both  of  these  documents  ^  are  ex- 
tremely interesting  as  throwing  much  light  upon  the  then  existent 
conditions,  the  benefits  that  had  accrued  from  the  foundation  of 
even  a  temporary  asylum,  the  pitiable  condition  of  many  of  the 
cases  received,  the  lack  of  proper  keepers,  the  class  of  patients 
admitted,  the  prevalence  of  contagious  bodily  diseases,  and  the 
cost  of  maintenance  and  improvements.  Special  attention  is  also 
called  by  Dr.  Peters  to  the  number  of  cases  of  delirium  tremens 
to  which  shelter  was  given.  These,  which  constituted  no  less 
than  23  per  cent  of  the  total  admissions,  were  not  regarded  by 
him  as  properly  insane,  and  consequently  are  not  included  in  his 
table  of  classified  admissions.  In  his  next  annual  report,  how- 
ever,^ laid  before  the  House  during  its  1839  session  (as  well  as 
in  subsequent  ones),  he  seems  to  have  changed  his  views  and  we 
find  the  cases  of  this  disorder  included  in  the  total  of  50  in 
residence  at  the  close  of  the  year  1838. 

On  March  9,  1838,  yet  another  address  was  presented  to  His 
Excellency  the  Lieutenant-Governor,  now  Major  General  Sir 
John  Harvey,  Mr.  Woodward  moving  that  he  be  prayed  "  to 
appoint  commissioners  to  select  the  best  site  for  a  provincial 
lunatic  asylum,  either  in  the  vicinity  of  the  City  of  St.  John  or 
Fredericton,  or  any  part  of  the  River  St.  John,  and  to  furnish  a 
plan  of  a  suitable  building  for  the  above  purpose,  the  estimated 
cost  of  which,  including  the  land,  shall  not  exceed  £4000."  ^ 

^  See  Appendix  B  from  Journals  of  the  House  of  Assembly  of  New 
Brunswick,  1838. 
^  Journals  of  the  House  of  Assembly  of  New  Brunswick,  1839. 
'Journals  of  the  House  of  Assembly  of  New  Brunswick,  1838, 


44  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE    OF    THE    INSANE 

Little  or  nothing  seems  to  have  been  said  or  done  regarding 
the  provision  of  a  permanent  asylum  from  1838  up  to  1845.  The 
journals  of  the  House,  however,  almost  the  only  source  of  infor- 
mation, contain  various  items  regarding  petitions  for  the  granting 
of  supplies  for  the  up-keep  of  the  temporary  asylum,  as  well  as 
reports  from  its  medical  officer  and  superintendent.  In  these  there 
is  much  of  interest.  For  example.  Dr.  Peters,  in  his  fifth  annual 
report,  made  in  1841,  states  as  follows  : 

May  it  please  Your  Excellency :  During  the  first  year  of  the  establish- 
ment of  this  institution,  24  patients  were  admitted,  many  of  them  taken 
from  the  gaols  throughout  the  province,  and  most  of  them  from  situations 
least  likely  to  admit  of  their  recovery.  During  the  past  year,  however,  no 
less  than  '/2,  have  enjoyed  the  benefit  of  this  establishment,  15  of  whom 
have  been  discharged  cured,  and  8  dismissed  very  nearly  recovered,  but 
who  nevertheless  cannot  with  propriety  be  pronounced  cured,  as  they  had 
not  gone  through  the  usual  test  of  six  weeks'  probation — a  period  con- 
sidered absolutely  necessary  to  establish  a  confirmation  of  the  cure,  and 
which  was  only  prevented  by  the  importunities  of  friends  who  are  naturally 
always  anxious  for  the  discharge  of  those  most  dear  to  them,  and  beg  so 
piteously  for  their  release,  that  it  is  next  to  impossible  to  refuse  them. 
....  Owing  to  the  very  great  vigilance  of  the  keepers,  there  have  been 
no  casualties  among  the  inmates  from  violence  during  their  paroxysms ; 
one  unfortunate  fellow,  however,  in  his  desire  for  a  little  novelty,  climbed 
up  to  the  straw  loft,  and  by  some  unlucky  chance  tumbled  down  and  broke 
his  leg;  he  is  now,  I  am  happy  to  state,  quite  recovered.  We  had  likewise 
one  attempt  made  to  burn  up  the  establishment  by  a  woman  who  managed 
to  conceal  some  combustible  materials,  and  after  all  were  in  bed  made  an 
ingenious  use  of  the  articles  to  ensure  a  good  fire,  but  fortunately  one  of 
the  keepers  discovered  the  flames  in  time  for  a  bucket  or  two  of  water 
to  prevent  further  mischief.^ 

Again,  as  regards  the  benefit  of  treatment,  Dr.  Peters  says,  in 
a  report  presented  to  the  House,  February  i,  1844:  "  I  am  happy 
to  have  it  in  my  power  to  show  that  this  institution,  though  ex- 
ceedingly limited  in  the  means  for  the  proper  treatment  of  the 
insane,  will  bear  no  mean  comparison  with  others  more  highly 
favored,"  and  records  that  on  December  31,  1843,  there  were  in 
the  asylum  52  patients,  while  47  had  been  received  during  the 
year,  making  a  total  of  99.  Of  these  cases,  60  were  old  (or  of 
more  than  six  months'  standing  previous  to  their  admission), 
while  39  were  recent.     Of  the  former,   12  were  discharged  as 

^  Journals  of  the  House  of  Assembly  of  New  Brunswick,  1841.  Report 
of  Dr.  Peters. 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  45 

cured,  and  of  the  latter,  25 — a  valuable  commentary  on  the  advan- 
tages of  the  early  treatment  of  mental  disorders. 

Further  on  in  his  report  the  doctor  states,  with  reference  to 
injuries  received  by  patients,  applications  for  admission,  em- 
ployment, and  last,  but  not  least,  the  present  burning  question  of 
deportation,  as  follows : 

One  patient  jumped  from  a  third-story  window,  fractured  both  arms 
and  dislocated  the  elbow  joint,  but  we  managed  to  keep  her  quiet  after- 
wards, although  she  had  previously  been  exceedingly  violent,  and  made  a 
good  cure  of  her  case  in  a  few  weeks. 

A  young  lad  of  16  came  to  the  gate  and  demanded  admission,  followed 
by  his  father,  who  grieved  exceedingly  at  his  determination  to  go  to 
the  asylum  from  a  very  common  but  false  impression  that  confinement 
there  was  a  disgrace.  He  was  in  hopes  that  his  son  would  relent  and  wish 
to  go  home  with  him  as  soon  as  he  had  seen  the  interior  of  the  establish- 
ment, but  in  this  he  was  disappointed.  He  persisted  in  staying  there,  as 
he  said  he  knew  it  was  the  only  place  where  he  had  a  chance  of  recovery, 
and  he  felt  quite  sure  that  if  he  remained  out  he  would  destroy  himself, 
as  he  had  several  times  threatened  to  do  already. 

One  incurable,  belonging  to  Scotland,  we  sent  home,  as  the  cost  of  his 
passage  was  a  small  amount  compared  to  what  his  maintenance  would 
have  been  here  for  years. 

Much  work  has  been  done  by  the  inmates  during  the  past  year  for  the 
institution.  We  have  had  a  tinsmith,  who  has  made  tinware  enough  to 
last  us  for  a  year  to  come.  Indeed,  whenever  we  get  a  mechanic  we 
make  the  most  of  him  for  the  benefit  of  the  establishment,  as  his  occupa- 
tion is  not  only  useful  to  us,  but  also  the  best  means  of  promoting  his 
own  recovery. 

I  cannot  close  this  report  without  complaining  of  the  common  custom 
of  sending  patients  to  the  asylum  without  any  clothing  but  that  on  their 
backs.  I  can  make  no  exception  in  favor  of  any  of  the  counties,  for  they 
come  to  us  in  this  state  from  every  part  of  the  province,  and  sometimes  in 
perfect  rags.  Where  a  parish  is  relieved  from  a  charge  of  this  kind,  care 
should  be  taken  that  the  unfortunate  lunatics  have  at  least  a  change  of 
clothing,  but  the  general  practice  of  neglecting  to  do  so  very  materially 
increases  our  expenses  for  clothing.^ 

In  the  course  of  the  same  session  there  was  presented  to  the 
House  a  report  from  the  commissioners  of  the  temporary  asylum, 
with  estimates  for  the  current  year.  In  this  it  is  shown  that  the 
Legislature,  as  is  common  with  legislatures  even  at  the  present 
day,  was  somewhat  dilatory  in  the  payment  of  its  bills,  and  that 

*  Journals  of  the  House  of  Assembly  for  New  Brunswick,  1844.  Report 
of  Dr.  Peters. 


46  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF  THE   INSANE 

the  members  of  the  commission  had  personally  been  obliged  to 
advance  money  to  cover  expenses,  about  which  they  had  justly 
complained  in  the  following  words : 

Having  already  transmitted  before  in  this  month  (by  the  hands  of  our 
Dr.  Peters)  the  account  and  vouchers  for  the  quarter  ending  at  31st 
December  last,  showing  a  balance  £93  16  shillings  6  pence  then  due  to  the 
commissioners,  we  would  now  respectfully  urge  attention  to  this  peculiar 
state  of  the  accounts  of  the  institution,  presently  subjecting  the  commis- 
sioners to  the  necessity  of  raising  means  on  their  own  private  account,  not 
only  for  paying  ofif  a  considerable  portion  of  the  bills  of  the  last  quarter, 
but  also  to  meet  the  current  expenses  of  the  present.  Not  doubting, 
however,  but  that  an  early  remedy  will  be  found  for  this  inconvenient 
state  of  affairs,  we  have  the  honor  to  remain.^ 

Interesting  also  in  the  extreme  are  the  estimates  of  the  sum 
required  for  the  yearly  support  of  the  asylum,  and  the  dietary, 
as  supplied  by  the  commissioners  in  the  same  year.  Viewed  at 
the  present  date,  the  rate  for  maintenance,  three  shillings  and 
three  pence  (about  80  cents)  per  week,  and  the  diet  furnished,  as 
shown  in  the  subjoined  tables,  would  seem  almost  absurd. 

Diet,  ordinary  and  extra,  for  70  individuals  during  the  year, 

each  52  weeks  at  3s.  3d.  per  week,  for  which  rates  see  *  s.  d. 

diet  table  annexed  591  10  o 

1344  lbs.  soap  at  3d 16  16  o 

200  lbs.  candles  at  8d 6  13  4 

60  gals.  Pale  Seal  oil  at  3s.  6d 10  10  0 

250  lbs.  tobacco  at  6d 6  5  o 

4  tons  straw   at  45s 9  o  o 

3  tons  hay  at  55s 8  5  o 

Bran  and  other  short  feed,  say 6  10  o 

30  chaldrons  coals  at  20s 30  o  o 

60  cords  fuel  wood  at  ids 30  o  o 

Rents,    say    40  4  o 

Salaries,  doctor  and  keepers 180  o  o 

Bed  and  body  clothing  250  o  o 

Miscellaneous    100  o  o 

1,285      13      4 
Allowance  to  the  commissioner  immediately  superintending, 

purchasing  supplies,  keeping  the  accounts,  etc.,  say  ....     100        0      o 

1,385       13      4 
^Journals  of  the  House  of  Assembly  for  New  Brunswick,  1844. 


NEW    BRUNSWICK 


47 


ORDINARY  DIET  TABLE. 
Breakfast. 

Sunday    Bread,  tea,  milk  and  sugar. 

Monday 

Tuesday    

Wednesday 

Thursday    

Friday   

Saturday  . , 

Dinner. 

Sunday    Beef  soup  and  potatoes. 

Monday Fish  and  potatoes. 

Tuesday    Beef  soup  and  potatoes. 

Wednesday Rice  and  molasses. 

Thursday    Beef  soup  and  potatoes. 

Friday   Fish  and  potatoes. 

Saturday Rice  and  molasses. 

Supper. 

Sunday    Bread,  tea,  milk  and  sugar. 

Monday Oatmeal  pudding  and  molasses. 

Tuesday    

Wednesday 

Thursday    

Friday   

Saturday  

Note. — Extras,  as  butter,  eggs,  wine,  etc.,  supplied  for  particular  patients 
when  absolutely  required  and  ordered  by  the  doctor. 

Supposed  average  number  of  inmates,  patients  and  keepers  for  the  year 
in  prospect,  say  70. 

ORDINARY  DIET  ALLOWANCE   FOR   ONE  INDIVIDUAL 
IN  THE  WEEK. 

Nine  lbs.  bread,  cost,  say 13d. 

One  and  one-half  ozs.  tea 2d.  S-8ths 

Five-eighths  lb.  sugar 2d.  5-8ths 

Two  and  one-fourth  lbs.  beef 6d.  S-8ths 

One-fourth  lb.  barley 6-8ths 

Three-fourths  lb.  rice id.  4-8ths 

One  and  one-half  lbs.  oatmeal 2d.  5-8ths 

Two  gills  molasses id.  3-8ths 

One  lb.  fish id.  2-8ths 

Twelve  lbs.  potatoes 3d.  4-8ths 

Extras  of  all  kinds 3d.  2-8ths 

3s.  3d.* 


*  Journals  of  the  House  of  Assembly  for  New  Brunswick,  1844. 


48  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

Judging  from  the  journals  of  the  House,  as  previously  stated, 
almost  our  only  source  of  information,  little  or  no  further  action 
was  taken  toward  the  provision  of  a  permanent  asylum  until  1845, 
when  a  correspondence  was  entered  into  between  the  govern- 
ments of  Nova  Scotia,  Prince  Edward  Island  and  New  Bruns- 
wick, with  a  view  to  the  erection  of  a  combined  asylum  for  the 
three  provinces.  Toward  the  furtherance  of  this  object,  the  Nova 
Scotia  and  New  Brunswick  legislatures  appointed  commissions  to 
confer  on  the  subject.  That  of  Prince  Edward  Island  declined 
to  do  so,  preferring  the  establishment  of  an  institution  for  itself. 
The  commissioners  from  Nova  Scotia  were  Messrs.  H.  Bell,  S.  P. 
Fairbanks  and  Dr.  Alexander  Sawyers,  and  those  of  New  Bruns- 
wick Messrs.  William  Wright,  John  Robertson  and  Dr.  G.  P. 
Peters.  These  gentlemen  met  in  St.  John  on  July  15,  1845. 
After  a  full  discussion  of  the  matter  they  expressed  the  unani- 
mous opinion  that  the  difficulties  attending  the  foundation  of  a 
joint  institution  were  so  numerous  that  they  would  not  be  justified 
in  recommending  such  a  course,  separate  establishments  for  each 
province  being  much  more  advisable. 

At  once,  on  the  announcement  of  this  conclusion,  the  wrangle 
as  to  the  site  to  be  selected  for  a  permanent  asylum  was  recom- 
menced and  the  journals  of  the  same  year  (1845)  contain  reports 
from  commissions  in  Fredericton,  represented  by  Dr.  G.  M. 
Odell,  Dr.  J.  B.  Toldervey  and  Mr.  B.  Wolhaupter ;  Saint  John, 
represented  by  Dr.  Geo.  P.  Peters,  W.  Jack  and  John  Ward,  Jr. ; 
Gagetown,  represented  by  Harry  Peters,  Sen.,  and  N.  H.  DeVeber ; 
and  Sussex  Vale,  represented  by  A.  C.  Evanson  and  E.  A.  Vail. 
Each  of  these  reports  claimed  the  superior  eligibility  of  sites  in 
the  districts  represented,  basing  their  contestation  on  scenic 
beauty,  superiority  of  climate,  salubrity,  facilities  for  sea  bathing, 
abundant  water  supply,  accessibility  at  all  seasons,  convenience 
to  a  good  market,  nearness  to  the  most  populous  part  of  the 
province  whence  the  bulk  of  patients  were  received,  etc. 

During  the  same  session  of  the  House  of  Assembly  the  report 
of  the  superintendent  called  attention  to  the  utter  inadequacy 
of  the  temporary  asylum  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  province,  as 
well  as  to  its  disadvantages  as  an  institution  for  the  insane  in 
these  forceful  words : 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  49 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  we  at  present  labor  under  every  dis- 
advantage. In  the  first  place,  we  have  up  to  the  present  moment  been  the 
receptacle  of  all  of  the  old  incurable  cases  in  the  province ;  many  admitted 
within  a  few  months  are  of  10  and  15  years'  standing;  such  cases  are  of 
course  incurable,  and  will  remain  on  our  list  of  patients  till  discharged 
as  dead ;  and  it  must  further  be  remembered  that  we  have  none  of  the 
advantages  of  other  more  favored  institutions ;  here  we  are  confined  within 
the  limits  of  a  few  town  lots,  which  do  not  permit  but  partially  of  either 
amusement  or  occupation  for  the  treatment  of  a  malady  which,  of  all 
others,  requires  these  indispensable  requisites  for  its  proper  treatment;  it 
is  true,  we  make  work,  as  it  may  be  called,  to  occupy  the  minds  and 
bodies  of  our  patients  so  as  in  some  measure  to  direct  their  thoughts 
from  their  hallucinations ;  but  no  man  will  apply  himself  with  energy  to 
a  task  which,  at  first  sight,  he  can  observe  is  unprofitable,  and  no  persons 

are  more  alive  to  every  consideration  of  this  kind  than  most  lunatics 

The  building  at  present  occupied  as  a  lunatic  asylum  is  now  full,  it  can 
hold  no  more,  and  the  time  has  arrived  when,  as  a  matter  of  necessity, 
accommodations  must  be   furnished  for  the  lunatics  by  the  province/ 

This  Utterance  of  Dr.  Peters  was  echoed  by  the  commissioners 
in  the  annexed  report  to  the  Hon.  Provincial  Secretary. 

Saint  John,  April  7,  1845. 

Sir  :  The  commissioners  of  the  Provincial  Lunatic  Asylum  beg  leave  to 
call  the  attention  of  His  Excellency  the  Lieutenant-Governor  to  the  present 
overcrowded  state  of  that  building,  the  number  of  inmates  amounting  to 
75,  exclusive  of  keepers  and  necessary  attendants.  They  have  been  applied 
to  also  to  admit  four  more  cases,  but  are  unable  to  receive  them  for  want 
of  accommodation,  and  they  very  much  fear  that  the  present  crowded 
state  of  the  building  will  be  attended  with  bad  consequences  so  soon  as 
the  weather  becomes  warm. 

The  present  building  will  require  an  outlay  of  about  £150  to  make  it 
habitable  for  another  winter,  and  if  the  Poverty  Hall  property  could  be 
purchased  it  would  do  sufficiently  well  for  a  large  portion  of  the  more 
quiet  lunatics,  and  so  make  room  in  the  present  asylum  for  all  the  trouble- 
some cases.  The  men  might  during  the  summer  be  occupied  upon  the 
farm  and  improving  the  grounds,  instead  of  remaining  as  they  are  in 
comparative  idleness. 

They  have  much  pleasure  in  adding  that  the  Poverty  Hall  site  has  been 
approved  of  by  the  medical  profession  generally  at  Saint  John.  Should 
the  purchase  of  this  farm  not  be  determined  upon,  it  will  be  absolutely 
necessary  for  the  commissioners  to  hire  a  building  at  perhaps  a  heavy 
rent,  or  else  be  under  the  necessity  of  sending  back  the  unfortunate  lunatics 

^Journals  of  House  of  Assembly  for  New  Brunswick,  1845. 


50  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE    OF   THE    INSANE 

to  the  counties  from  whence  thej-  came,  as  it  is  a  matter  of  impossibility 
to  accommodate  one  more  patient  in  the  present  building.^ 
We  have  the  honor  to  be,  Sir, 

Your  obedient   servants, 

George  P.  Peters.  M.  D., 
W.  Jack, 
John   Ward,   Jr., 
Commissioners,  Lunatic  Asylum. 

To  this  report  was  appended  the  following  certificate : 

The  undersigned,  members  of  the  medical  profession  at  Saint  John, 
having  duly  considered  all  the  advantages  attending  the  location  of  the 
provincial  lunatic  asj'lum  as  an  hospital  for  the  treatment  and  cure  of 
insanity,  are  decidedlj^  of  opinion  that  Povertj'  Hall  offers  advantages 
as  a  site  for  this  institution  greater  than  either  Hampton  or  Gagetown.' 
(Signed.)  Alex.  Boyle,  M.  D.,  Robert  Bayard,  M.  D.,  W.  Bayard,  M.  D., 
L.  B.  Botsf  ord,  M.  D.,  WilHam  Livingstone,  C.  M.,  John  Paddock,  S.  S.  R, 
W.  S.  Harding,  Surgn.,  Thomas  S.  Wetmore,  M.  D.,  J.  Boyd,  M.  D.,  etc., 
D.  Miller,  surgeon,  and  George  P.  Peters,  M.  D. 

At  the  next  session  of  the  House,  held  in  1846,  a  committee  was 
appointed,  composed  of  Messrs.  Charles  Simonds,  S.  Z.  Earle, 
Robert  Thomson,  James  Taylor  and  W.  H.  Botsford,  to  which 
w^as  referred  the  question  of  the  erection  of  a  provincial  asylum. 
Their  report  was  to  the  effect  that  the  accommodation  in  the 
temporary  asylum  was  utterly  insufficient,  and  that  means  should 
be  immediately  adopted  to  provide  an  institution  commensurate 
with  the  requirements  of  the  province.  In  order  that  the  House 
might  have  all  the  information  desirable  and  requisite  upon  so 
important  a  subject,  they  begged  leave  to  refer  to  the  report  of 
the  commissioners  appointed  upon  the  address  to  the  Assembly 
in  the  year  1836.*  The  commissioners  also  expressed  their  ap- 
proval of  a  plan  for  the  proposed  asylum  furnished  them  by  Dr. 
G.  P.  Peters,  in  preference  to  several  others  submitted  for  their 
inspection. 

After  consideration  of  this  report  and  much  discussion,  prin- 
cipally upon  location,  it  was  at  last  decided,  on  the  3d  of  April, 
1846,  by  a  vote  of  13  to  14,  to  advise  the  payment  of  the  sum  of 
£2500  towards  the  erection  of  a  provincial  asylum,  this  sum  to  be 

*  Journals  of  House  of  Assembly  for  New  Brunswick,  1845. 
'Journals  of  House  of  Assembly  for  New  Brunswick,  1845. 

*  This  is  the  address  already  referred  to  as  written  by  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Coster.     Vide  Appendix  A. 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  5I 

expended  under  the  discretion  of  commissioners  to  be  appointed 
by  the  Lieutenant-Governor  in  Council  upon  a  site  in  the  vicinity 
of  St.  John,  the  said  site  to  "  combine  the  advantages  of  climate 
and  varied  scenery,  and  near  enough  to  the  active  and  changing 
scenes  of  life  to  arrest  the  attention  and  amuse  the  inmates."^ 

That  the  financial  affairs  of  the  hospital  were  in  a  somewhat 
mixed  condition  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  at  the  same  session 
petitions  were  submitted  from  Mr.  George  Matthew,  formerly 
overseer  of  the  poor  and  superintendent  of  the  temporary  asylum, 
and  Dr.  Peters,  its  visiting  physician,  the  former  asking  for  the 
sum  of  £500  to  cover  expenses  incurred  for  the  support  of  the 
institution  in  1842,  the  latter  that  provision  should  be  made  to 
cover  his  services  as  physician  in  the  same  year.  Both  these 
claims  were  ultimately  arranged.  Dr.  Peters  being  allowed  the 
sum  of  £100  with  three  years'  interest.^ 

The  building  commissioners  selected  by  the  Governor  were  G. 
P.  Peters,  M.  D.,  William  Jack,  John  Ward,  Jr.,  and  John  R. 
Partelow,  but  nothing  further  was  done  that  year,  as  the  govern- 
ment failed  to  approve  of  the  plans  submitted  by  the  com- 
missioners. 

Just  why  St.  John  was  selected  as  a  site  in  preference  to  Fred- 
ericton,  the  capital,  is  an  unsolved  mystery.  It  may  have  been 
that  some  friend  of  the  government  had  the  land  to  sell,  and  that 
the  dark  horse  won.  At  all  events,  the  choice  seems  to  have  been 
a  wise  one.  As  Dr.  Waddell  rather  quaintly  observes  in  his 
report  as  medical  superintendent  for  the  year  1874: 

The  result  has  proved  the  judiciousness  of  the  selection.  It  was  argued 
by  those  opposed  to  this  situation,  very  unphilosophically,  that  the  noise 
produced  by  the  rapids  ^  would  disturb  the  patients ;  but  the  sounds  caused 
by  rushing  water  is  the  music  of  nature,  and  is  always  in  harmony  with, 
and  soothing  in  its  effect  on,  the  nervous  organism,  and  is  an  influence 
perpetual  in  its  operation,  and  in  some  measure  an  antidote  to  the  grating 
effect  of  the  modern  railway  and  mill  whistle  by  which  we  are  now  sur- 
rounded. 

^Appendix  to  journals  of  House  of  Assembly  of  New  Brunswick,  1875, 
Report  of  the  medical  superintendent  of  the  Provincial  Lunatic  Asylum  for 
the  year   1874,   p.  6. 

^  Journals  of  the  House  of  Assembly  for  New  Brunswick,  1846. 

^  The  hospital  is  situated  on  the  river  bank,  close  to  the  celebrated 
Reversible  Falls. 


52  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

Again,  the  present  superintendent,  Dr.  Anglin,  writes  as 
regards  the  choice  of  St.  John,  under  date  15th  July,  1914: 

I  would  select  it  to-day  for  the  following  reasons,  some  of  which  probably 
held  good  75  years  ago :  The  climate  here  is  not  severe  in  winter,  nor 
ever  hot  in  summer.  St.  John  is  the  largest  place  in  New  Brunswick,  and, 
being  a  port,  it  is  more  easy  to  obtain  supplies  of  all  kinds  and  to  get 
employees.  It  is  also  more  central  or  at  least  more  accessible  to  other 
parts  of  the  province.  Most  of  the  patients  come  from  this  locality,  so 
that  the  cost  of  conveyance  to  the  institution  is  less.  No  matter  what 
reasons  actuated  the  old  Legislature,  it  is  a  good  thing  that  they  picked 
out  St.  John,  though  they  might  have  chosen  a  safer  site  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. However,  they  probably  never  dreamt  that  the  insane  would  be 
given  the  liberties  they  now  have,  so  that  the  nearness  of  the  turbulent 
river  was  not  given  any  consideration.  The  fact  that  St.  John  already 
had  a  building  for  the  insane  must  have  had  some  influence  in  making  this 
the  permanent  place. 

By  an  act  passed  the  ensuing  year,  April  14,  1847,  the  Legisla- 
ture appropriated  an  additional  sum  of  £  10,000  for  building  (in 
all  £12,500)  and  also  £2000  for  the  purchase  of  land.""  The  com- 
missioners were  by  the  same  act  authorized  to  procure  a  site  and 
enter  into  contracts  for  the  erection  of  a  building,  the  plans,  etc., 
to  be  first  submitted  to  the  Lieutenant-Governor  in  Council  for 
approval. 

Designs  prepared  by  Mr.  Matthew  Stead,  architect,  having 
been  approved  of  by  the  government,  ground  was  broken  in  Sep- 
tember, 1846,  on  a  plot  of  land  about  50  acres  in  extent,  procured 
from  the  mayor,  aldermen  and  commonalty  of  the  City  of  St. 
John,  and  situated  in  the  parish  of  Lancaster,  less  than  a  mile 
outside  the  city.  The  site  selected  was  a  very  beautiful  one  on 
the  river  bank,  commanding  to  the  eastward  a  magnificent  view 
of  the  harbor  and  city;  to  the  southward  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  and, 
in  clear  weather,  the  coast  of  Nova  Scotia ;  and  to  the  northward 
the  St.  John  River,  with  its  everchanging  rapids. 

On  June  24,  1847,  the  corner-stone  of  the  building  was  laid  with 
Masonic  honors.''  This  ceremony  was  performed  by  His  Excel- 
lency the  Lieutenant-Governor  and  Commander-in-Chief  of  New 
Brunswick,  Sir  William  M.  G.  Colebrooke,  assisted  by  the  Hon,  A. 
Keith,  provincial  grand  master  of  Freemasons  of  Nova  Scotia, 

^  Statutes  of  New  Brunswick,  10  Vict.,  Chap.  55. 
*  See  Appendix  C. 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  53 

New  Brunswick,  Prince  Edward  Island  and  Newfoundland,  in 
the  presence  of  a  large  concourse  of  people. 

After  addresses  by  His  Excellency  and  Mr.  Keith,  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Gray,  rector  of  Trinity  Church,  St.  John,  and  grand  chaplain 
of  the  Masonic  Order,  offered  up  the  following  appropriate  dedi- 
catory prayer : 

Almighty  and  eternal  God,  maker  and  preserver  of  unnumbered  worlds, 
we  humbly  acknowledge  our  entire  dependence  upon  Thee,  for  life,  for 
health  and  for  all  things.  We  know,  O  Lord,  that  without  Thy  inspira- 
tion and  aid,  all  human  wisdom  is  folly,  all  human  strength  weakness. 
In  Thy  name  we  assemble  and  meet  together,  we  entreat  Thee  from  Thy 
holy  habitation — from  realms  of  light  and  glory — to  look  down  upon  us, 
and  vouchsafe  Thy  presence  and  blessing,  that  we  may  know  and  serve 
Thee  aright,  and  that  all  our  doings  may  tend  to  Thy  glory,  and  to  the 
salvation  of  our  souls.  God  grant  that  as  this  work  is  begun,  so  may  it 
be  continued  and  ended  in  Thee.  Grant  that  the  Sacred  Art  which  from 
the  beginning  has  been  especially  employed  in  rearing  temples  to  Thy  holy 
name,  may  now  be  blessed  in  this  erection  for  the  good  of  man  and  the 
benefit  of  human  society.  Let  Thy  providential  protection,  we  beseech 
Thee,  be  over  those  who  shall  be  more  immediately  engaged  in  carrying 
on  this  work  and  shield  them  from  danger  and  accident  during  its  progress. 
In  faith  and  hope,  O  Heavenly  Father,  we  commend  ourselves  and  our 
undertaking  to  Thy  favor  and  protection.  "  Prosper  thou  the  work  of 
our  hands,  O  prosper  thou  our  handiwork."  Hear,  we  beseech  Thee,  our 
humble  petitions,  for  the  sake  of  that  Eternal  Word,  which  was  from  the 
beginning,  and  shall  be  when  time  has  ceased  to  roll — even  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord  and  Saviour.     Amen.^ 

Dr.  Alley,  rector  of  St.  Andrews,  grand  orator,  then  delivered 
an  eloquent  and  interesting  address,  which  ended  the  proceedings 
of  the  day. 

By  the  autumn  of  1848  a  portion  of  the  building,  consisting  of 
the  center  structure  and  a  part  of  one  wing,  was  so  far  advanced 
that  December  12  of  that  year  witnessed  the  abandonment  of  the 
temporary  asylum,  the  pioneer  Canadian  institution  for  the 
insane,  by  the  opening  and  transfer  to  the  new  edifice  of  the  90 
patients  then  resident  in  the  old  establishment. 

The  operation  of  the  institution,  the  erection  of  which  had 
been  begun  two  years  previously,  and  the  legal  title  of  which  was 
the  Provincial  Lunatic  Asylum,  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  Dr. 

^Appendix  to  journals  of  House  of  Assembly  of  New  Brunswick,  1875. 
Report  of  the  medical  superintendent  of  the  Provincial  Lunatic  Asylum  for 
the  year   1874,  p.  6. 


54  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

Peters,  medical  superintendent,  Mr.  Hugh  McKay,  clerk,  and 
Mrs.  Donnelly,  matron. 

On  March  27,  1849,  ^^  ^ct  was  passed  by  the  Legislature  to 
make  provision  for  the  management  of  the  establishment,  and  for 
vesting  the  property  in  the  Queen's  Majesty,  her  heirs  and  suc- 
cessors.^ By  the  terms  of  this  act  there  was  to  be  a  board,  con- 
sisting of  not  less  than  five,  nor  more  than  nine  commissioners,  ap- 
pointed by  the  Governor  in  Council,  to  conduct  the  affairs  of  the 
asylum,  said  commissioners  to  receive  no  compensation.  This 
board,  of  which  three  were  constituted  a  quorum,  was  given  power 
to  make  by-laws,  etc.,  which,  however,  were  to  be  submitted  to  both 
branches  of  the  Legislature.  Provision  was  also  made  for  a 
monthly  visitation  of  the  asylum  by  one  or  more  of  the  commis- 
sioners ;  half-yearly  visitations  by  the  majority  of  them ;  and  a 
yearly  visitation  by  the  entire  board,  which  had  to  report  to  the 
Governor  in  Council.  Another  provision  of  the  act  exempted  the 
medical  officer,  keepers  and  under-keepers,  and  servants  of  the 
asylum  from  service  in  the  militia  and  on  juries. 

His  Excellency  was  pleased,  accordingly,  to  name  as  the  com- 
missioners Hon.  L.  A.  Wilmot,  Hon.  Wm.  McLeod,  John  Ward, 
Esq.,  John  Simpson,  Esq.,  F.  A.  Wiggins,  Esq.,  WilHam  Olive, 
Esq.,  Robert  F.  Hazen,  Esq.,  Peter  Bernard,  Esq.,  and  John 
Duncan,  Esq.  John  Ward,  Esq.,  was  appointed  chairman,  with 
Mr.  John  C.  Ward  as  secretary. 

Toward  the  close  of  the  first  year  of  the  asylum's  existence 
Dr.  Peters,  who  had  done  yeoman's  service  in  the  cause  of  the 
insane,  retired  from  the  office  of  medical  superintendent.  The 
position  was  then  tendered  to  Dr.  Le  Baron  Botsford,  who 
declined  it,  and  on  December  i,  1849,  Dr.  John  Waddell  was 
appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy,  entering  on  the  discharge  of  his 
duties  on  the  6th  of  that  month. 

In  1 85 1  Wm.  Jack,  Esq.,  who  had  given  so  much  time  and  care 
toward  the  up-keep  and  management  of  the  temporary  asylum, 
as  well  as  acting  as  one  of  the  commissioners  for  the  erection  of 
the  permanent  one,  and  aiding  materially  in  its  organization  and 
development,  retired  from  active  participation  in  hospital  affairs ; 
while  the  succeeding  year  saw  the  death  of  Mr.  J.  C.  Ward, 

*  Statutes  of  New  Brunswick,  12  Vict.,  Chap.  28. 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  55 

secretary  to  the  board,  and  a  very  efficient  officer.  His  place  was 
filled  by  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Charles  Ward. 

By  1853  the  part  of  the  building-  originally  constructed  had 
become  filled  to  overflowing,  and  a  wing  was  erected  on  the  south 
side  under  the  inspection  of  Mr.  Stead.  This  gave  a  temporary 
relief. 

For  a  number  of  years  there  had  at  different  times  been  com- 
plaints with  regard  to  the  management  of  the  various  provincial 
institutions  under  the  old  Tory  (family  compact)  party,  and  in 
1857,  after  the  advent  of  the  reformers  to  power,  the  House  of 
Assembly  passed  a  resolution  to  the  effect  that  it  was,  in  the  opinion 
of  the  House,  the  duty  of  the  government  to  cause  immediate 
inquiry  to  be  made  into  the  management  of  the  provincial  peni- 
tentiary, lunatic  asylum,  lazaretto  at  Tracadie,  and  all  other 
institutions  receiving  provincial  aid,  including  the  lighthouses 
and  marine  hospitals,  with  a  view,  if  possible,  to  reducing  the 
expenses  of  maintaining  the  same.  The  Hon.  David  Wark  and 
Messrs.  Henry  Fisher,  Joel  Reading,  James  McFarlane  and 
George  E.  Fenety  were  accordingly  appointed  commissioners  by 
Governor  Manners-Sutton  to  inquire  into  the  management  of 
the  asylum  and  other  public  institutions.  Their  report,  which 
was  an  elaborate  one,  was  laid  before  the  Legislature  in  1858. 
As  a  result,  in  1859,  the  control  of  the  asylum  was  by  Order  in 
Council  vested  in  the  department  of  the  Provincial  Board  of 
Works.     This  was  subsequently  confirmed  by  act  of  Legislature. 

In  1861  yet  another  change  was  effected  by  the  transfer  of  the 
control  of  the  internal  affairs  of  the  institution  from  the  old  board 
of  commissioners  and  their  secretary  to  a  new  commission  con- 
sisting of  the  heads  of  governmental  departments.  The  first  com- 
mission under  the  new  departure  was  composed  of  the  following 
members :  Hon.  S.  L.  Tilley,  Provincial  Secretary ;  Hon.  Charles 
Walters,  Solicitor-General ;  Hon.  James  Steadman,  Postmaster- 
General  ;  Hon.  G.  L.  Hatheway,  chairman  Board  of  Works ;  Hon. 
John  McMillan,  Surveyor-General;  R.  W.  Crookshank,  Esq., 
secretary  and  treasurer. 

The  system  then  adopted  practically  still  remains  in  vogue. 
With  few  exceptions,  the  commissioners  have  since  been  heads 
of  departments,  retiring  with  any  change  of  government. 


56  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE    OF    THE    INSANE 

The  year  which  saw  the  adoption  of  this  latest  system  of  man- 
agement witnessed  also  the  erection  of  the  wing  on  the  north 
side  of  the  original  structure. 

During  1868,  1869  and  1870  Hon.  W.  P.  Flewelling  was  one 
of  the  commissioners  and  took  a  special  interest  in  the  advance- 
ment of  the  establishment.  In  1869  he  visited,  in  company  with 
the  medical  superintendent,  a  number  of  kindred  institutions  in 
the  United  States  with  a  view^  to  contemplated  improvements  at 
home.  These  he  succeeded  in  accomphshing,  the  chief  of  them 
being  the  extension,  in  1870,  of  the  center  building  to  the  rear  so 
as  to  give  increased  capacity  for  the  laundry  department  and 
provide  a  more  suitable  place  for  boilers  in  connection  with  the 
heating  and  cooking  arrangements. 

The  asylum  as  thus  completed  consisted  of  a  central  portion, 
three  stories  high,  surmounted  by  a  cupola,  and  four  three-story 
wings,  making  an  east  front  of  300  feet,  and  a  north  and  south 
front  each  of  150  feet.  An  extension  backward  from  the  main 
building  contained  the  laundry  and  boiler  rooms  in  the  basement, 
the  kitchen  and  store  rooms  on  the  first  floor,  and  the  chapel  on  the 
second.  This  formed  with  the  wings  two  quadrangular  court- 
yards, connected  with  which  were  airing  inclosures  for  the  patients. 
The  material  used  in  construction  was  brick,  with  stone  trimmings 
and  slate  roof.  The  capacity  of  the  institution  was  200 — 100  of 
each  sex — and  the  total  cost  thereof,  including  outbuildings  and 
land,  was  about  $120,000. 

Prior  to  1872  the  medical  superintendent  was  allowed  no  dis- 
cretion whatever  as  to  the  character  of  patients  admitted.  Pro- 
vided the  required  legal  conditions  were  complied  with,  he  was 
powerless  to  refuse  any  case.  All  classes — idiots,  imbeciles, 
paral3'tics  and  senile  dements — were  sent  to  him.  and  this  without 
any  previous  application  having  to  be  made.  The  overcrowding 
of  the  institution  led  to  the  betterment  of  this  state  of  affairs  by 
the  publication  in  the  Royal  Gazette,  on  June  26  of  that  year,  of 
the  following  regulation  made  by  the  commissioners : 

It  is  ordered,  in  consequence  of  the  crowded  state  of  the  Lunatic  Asj'lum, 
that,  until  further  notice,  the  medical  superintendent  be  authorized  to  exer- 
cise his  judgment  in  reference  to  receiving  additional  patients.  All  magis- 
trates and  others  are  therefore  notified  that,  except  in  the  case  of  lunatics 
clearly  dangerous  and  violent,  it  would  be  advisable  before  issuing  or  pro- 
curing warrants  of  apprehension  and  commitment  to  communicate  with 
Dr.  Waddell. 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  57 

On  the  31st  of  October,  1875,  after  over  26  years  of  faithful 
service,  Dr.  Waddell  tendered  his  resignation  as  medical  super- 
intendent. He  was,  however,  induced  to  extend  his  term  of 
office  up  to  May  i,  1876,  that  he  might  induct  his  successor,  Dr. 
James  T.  Steeves,  into  the  duties  of  the  position. 

On  his  installation  Dr.  Steeves  found  the  asylum  much  over- 
crowded. Some  additional  accommodation  had  been  gained  by 
the  conversion  of  the  basements  and  space  over  the  laundry  into 
dormitories,  but  at  the  close  of  his  first  year  in  office  the  building, 
originally  calculated  to  receive  200,  had  no  less  than  276  inmates. 
To  meet  the  emergency  he  suggested  that  the  north  and  south 
wings  of  the  building  should  be  extended  100  feet  so  as  to  provide 
room  for  80  more  patients.^ 

A  modification  of  this  suggestion  was  carried  into  effect,  on 
the  male  side  in  1879-80,  and  on  the  female  side  in  1881-82.  The 
relief,  however,  was  but  ephemeral.  Very  soon  the  building  was 
again  crowded,  and  the  problem  of  providing  for  those  seeking 
admission  became  as  pressing  as  before.  Under  these  circum- 
stances the  government,  fully  recognizing  that  all  lunatics  are 
properly  the  wards  of  the  state,  determined  upon  the  purchase  of 
additional  land  and  the  erection  thereon  of  separate  buildings 
for  the  chronic  insane.  In  accordance  with  this  plan  in  1885  a 
farm  of  250  acres  was  purchased  about  a  mile  from  the  asylum 
proper.  On  this  was  erected  a  group  of  three  two-story  brick 
pavilions  for  the  accommodation  of  150  patients,  with  a  residence 
for  a  steward,  who  was  given  the  general  management  of  afifairs 
there,  under  supervision  of  the  medical  superintendent.  The 
central  building  and  west  wing  of  the  group,  which  was  desig- 
nated the  "  Annex,"  were  constructed  in  1885,  the  east  wing  in 
1889. 

The  system  thus  inaugurated  contemplated  the  erection  of 
additional  pavilions  as  they  might  be  from  time  to  time  required, 
and  the  transfer  to  them  of  quiet,  chronic  patients  from  the  main, 
or  reception  asylum  as  that  building  became  filled.  Here,  with 
extensive  agricultural  facilities,  their  employment,  it  was  deemed, 
might  be  made  useful  both  to  themselves  and  the  state,  an  opinion 
that  has  been  practically  verified. 

^  Report  of  the  medical  superintendent  of  the  Provincial  Lunatic  Asylum 
for  the  year   1876,  p.  23. 


58  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE    OF   THE   INSANE 

According  to  Dr.  Steeves'  report  for  the  year  1890,  the  popula- 
tion of  the  province  was  340,000,  and  the  number  of  insane  about 
800,  including  idiots  and  all  others  incapacitated  through  mental 
defect.  The  capacity  of  the  hospital  was  320,  while  the  "  Annex  " 
could  house  150.  The  asylum  population  on  January  i,  1891, 
was  455. 

In  1892  an  addition  was  made  to  the  hospital  outfit  in  the 
shape  of  a  much-needed  detached  structure  for  a  mortuary,  in 
general  plan  the  same  as  the  mortuary  at  the  Government  Insane 
Hospital,  Washington,  D.  C.  The  building  comprised  "  a  base- 
ment for  the  storage  of  morbid  specimens :  a  first  floor  for  a  little 
chapel,  a  repository  for  the  bodies,  and  a  post-mortem  room ;  and 
a  half-story,  well  lighted,  for  microscopic  and  photographic 
work."  ^ 

During  1893  an  act  was  passed  constituting  the  following  ex- 
officio  visitors  to  the  asylum :  His  Honor  the  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor, the  Hon.  the  Chief  Justice,  the  Hon.  the  Attorney-General, 
the  Hon.  the  Provincial  Secretary,  and  the  Speaker  of  the  House 
of  Assembly.  The  same  act  provided  for  a  visiting  committee  to 
be  composed  of  one  representative  of  each  of  the  Christian  denom- 
inations in  the  province,  to  be  nominated  by  the  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor in  Council,  together  with  not  more  than  five  other  persons 
who  might  from  time  to  time  be  named  by  the  same  authority., 
and  who  should  continue  as  visitors  during  pleasure.  Under 
this  act  the  members  appointed  to  the  visiting  committee  were : 
His  Honor  Judge  James  G.  Stevens,  Joseph  F.  AUison,  Esq., 
Edward  F.  Smith,  Esq.,  Hon.  A.  F.  Randolph,  Edward  Sinclair, 
Esq.,  Mrs  R.  Chipman  Skinner,  Hon.  Archibald  Harrison,  Mrs. 
P.  A.  Landry,  Rev.  G.  A.  Hartley,  Dr.  Boyle  Travers,  Stephen  B. 
Appleby,  Esq.,  Dr.  J.  S.  Benson  and  Mrs.  W.  N.  Todd. 

In  September,  1895,  Dr.  Steeves  was  prostrated  by  a  serious 
attack  of  illness.  This  so  shattered  his  health  that  he  was  obliged 
to  retire  from  the  superintendency,  which  he  did  on  May  i,  1896, 
being  succeeded  by  Dr.  George  A.  Hetherington,  who  entered 
upon  the  duties  of  the  office  August  17  of  that  year. 

Under  Dr.  Hetherington's  management  the  asylum  proper  was 

^  Report  of  the  medical  superintendent  of  the  Provincial  Lunatic  Asylum 
for  the  year   1892,  p.   10. 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  59 

enlarged  by  the  raising  of  a  part  of  the  roof  so  as  to  furnish  an 
additional  story,  an  electric-lighting  plant  was  installed,  and  hos- 
pital wards,  with  operating  room,  were  provided  for  both  male 
and  female  patients. 

Dr.  Hetherington,  in  his  report  for  the  year  1896,  also  advo- 
cated the  inauguration  of  a  training  school  for  nurses,  an  idea 
previously  mooted  by  Dr.  Steeves,  who,  in  his  report  for  1894, 
says  :  "  It  will  be  in  order  to  establish  a  school  for  training  nurses 
in  this  hospital  when  the  staff  of  officers  has  been  made  com- 
mensurate with  the  number  of  patients  under  care,  and  the  work 
for  successful  issue  thus  rendered  possible."  For  the  reason  set 
forth  by  Dr.  Steeves,  the  medical  staff  still  being  limited  to  the 
superintendent  and  one  assistant,  the  formation  of  a  nurses'  train- 
ing school  is  still  a  vision  of  the  future. 

In  addition  to  a  training  school,  Dr.  Hetherington  strongly 
recommended  the  provision  of  a  separate  building  for  tuber- 
culous patients,  and  the  installation  of  a  hydrotherapeutic  plant, 
neither  of  which  advances,  however,  has  yet  been  made. 

Dr.  Hetherington  having  severed  his  connection  with  the  insti- 
tution early  in  May,  1903,  the  reins  of  office  were  assumed  on 
October  i,  1904,  by  Dr.  James  V.  Anglin,  an  honor  graduate  in 
arts  and  a  medallist  in  medicine  of  Queens  University,  Kingston, 
Ont.,  and  presently  assistant  superintendent  of  the  Protestant 
Hospital  for  Insane,  Montreal,  Que. 

During  the  ten  years  that  Dr.  Anglin  has  had  charge  many 
important  changes  and  improvements  have  been  effected,  so  much 
so  that  one  who  knew  the  institution  prior  to  his  time  would 
scarcely  recognize  it  as  the  same.  The  grounds  have  been  made 
more  ornate  and  attractive ;  the  furnishing  and  decoration  of  the 
wards  have  been  greatly  improved;  the  antiquated  airing  courts 
have  been  done  away  with ;  the  high,  unsightly  board  fence  which 
encircled  the  hospital  property  has  been  removed ;  a  vast  im- 
provement has  been  made  in  the  water  supply,  and  a  fan  venti- 
lating system  introduced,  doing  away  with  the  noisome  odors 
characteristic  of  the  building  in  by-gone  years.  In  addition,  the 
means  for  the  occupation  and  diversion  of  patients  have  been 
amplified,  and  reading  matter  much  more  liberally  supplied  them. 
He,  furthermore,  has  asked  for  the  establishment  of  a  congregate 
dining  room  and  the  provision  of  an  assembly  hall,  but  as  yet 


6o  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

these  boons  have  not  been  forthcoming/  As  regards  the  cost  of 
the  changes  and  improvements  introduced  into  the  hospital  he 
says,  in  one  of  his  reports : 

None  of  the  outlay  has  been  asked  for  as  a  mere  matter  of  sentiment, 
or  for  the  sake  of  making  the  Hves  of  our  patients  luxurious.  Our  sole 
thought  was,  and  is,  that  the  best  interests  of  the  general  public  would  be 
served,  the  best  aims  of  the  hospital  attained  by  doing  everything  in  our 
power  to  secure  the  recovery  of  the  curable  and  add  to  the  happiness  and 
comfort  of  the  unfortunate  ones  who  must  spend  their  lives  here.  I  grant 
that  many  a  patient  is  better  off  here,  is  better  housed  and  fed  and  clad 
than  ever  he  was  at  home ;  but  is  there  a  man  who  has  health  and  freedom 
who  would  have  it  otherwise? 

Probably  the  most  important  and  beneficent  of  the  changes 
brought  about  in  the  asylum  system  of  the  province  since  Dr. 
Anglin  took  charge  of  its  hospital  was  made  the  year  subsequent 
to  his  arrival,  that  is,  in  1905,  in  the  shape  of  a  revision  of  the 
lunacy  laws.  At  the  session  of  the  Legislature  prior  to  his 
advent  on  the  scene  a  good  deal  of  dissatisfaction  had  been  ex- 
pressed about  the  management  of  the  hospital,  and  an  investiga- 
tion threatened.  To  avert  this  the  Government  changed  the 
name  of  the  institution  from  "  Asylum  "  to  "  Hospital,"  and  Drs. 
Addy  and  Emery  were  appointed  to  join  with  the  future  superin- 
tendent in  taking  cognizance  of  the  whole  state  of  asylum  affairs. 

The  superintendent  was  given  a  free  hand  by  the  commis- 
sioners to  make  such  alterations  as  he  thought  best  in  the  form 
of  commitment.  The  chief  change  accomplished  by  the  new 
regulations  was  the  removal  of  the  power  of  sending  patients  to 
the  hospital  from  the  hands  of  justices  of  the  peace,  and  placing 
it  in  those  of  qualified  physicians.  Under  the  old  method  many 
were  sent  to  the  asylum  on  the  order  of  a  justice  of  the  peace  with 
often  not  more  than  20  words  relating  to  the  case,  written  by  a 
physician  on  a  scrap  of  note  paper.  The  usual  wording  of  these 
apologies  for  certificates  was  simply  that  the  patient  was  danger- 
ous to  be  at  large,  as  witness  the  following  true  copy  of  one  of 
them : 

Kings  Co.,  N.  B.,  Aug.  17,  1895. 

This  is  to  certify  that is  of  unsound  mind,  and  I  believe 

dangerous  to  be  at  large. 

(Signed) M.  D. 

'  Report  of  the  medical  superintendent  of  the  Provincial  Hospital  at  St. 

John,  New  Brunswick,  for  the  year  1906. 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  6l 

Whatever  history  of  the  case  was  obtained  had  usually  to  be 
procured  from  the  officer  who  accompanied  the  patient.  Now  as 
full  a  history  as  possible  is  required,  while  all  papers  requisite  for 
admission  must  be  forwarded  to  the  medical  superintendent,  and 
his  permit  secured  before  any  case  can  be  brought  to  the  hospital. 
Formerly,  the  hospital  authorities  knew  nothing  whatever  about 
the  patient  until  his  arrival,  and  had  no  option  but  to  admit  all 
comers.  Under  these  circumstances  there  is  no  doubt  the  institu- 
tion was  often  imposed  upon,  persons  being  sent  in  who  should 
have  been  cared  for  elsewhere.  In  order  that  no  case  needing 
immediate  confinement  might  suffer  by  the  delay  in  issuing  a 
written  permit,  the  superintendent  was  empowered  to  allow  such 
a  patient  to  be  brought  without  the  usual  formalities  if  represen- 
tations were  made  showing  the  urgency  of  the  case  by  telephone 
or  otherwise.  The  necessary  certificates  were  to  follow  within 
ten  days. 

By  the  changes  made  no  document  whatever  is  now  required 
from  a  justice  of  the  peace,  the  medical  certificate,  to  which  is 
annexed  a  form  of  history,  being  the  all-important  paper  neces- 
sary for  admission.  In  addition  to  the  statement  made  by  a 
physician,  two  other  certificates  are  requisite,  one  from  a  relative, 
and  one  from  the  secretary  of  the  municipality  where  the  patient 
belongs.  By  these  his  legal  settlement  and  financial  circumstances 
are  ascertained,  so  that,  if  in  a  position  to  pay  anything  towards 
maintenance,  his  friends  will  be  called  upon  to  do  so.  When 
patients  are  able  and  willing  to  pay  the  entire  cost  of  their  support 
and  a  bond  is  signed  to  that  effect,  they  may  be  admitted  on 
medical  certificates  only,  but  in  such  cases  there  must  be  an  exami- 
nation made  by  two  physicians. 

To  suit  the  changes  in  the  commitment  laws,  modern  certifi- 
cates were  prepared,  copied  after  the  best  in  use  elsewhere  and 
modified  to  suit  local  conditions. 

In  1909,  as  appears  in  the  medical  superintendent's  report  for 
that  year,  fire  consumed  what  is  described  as  "  in  one  sense  the 
most  important  part  of  the  hospital  buildings ;  the  laundry, 
sewing  room,  employees'  quarters,  a  ward  occupied  by  working 
patients,  the  boiler  house,  etc.,  were  destroyed,  while  the  chapel, 
center  building,  kitchen  and  heat  and  light  plant  were  seriously 
damaged." 


62  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

Fortunately  the  conflagration  was  unattended  with  loss  of 
life,  and,  while  causing-  great  temporary  inconvenience,  has  not 
proved  an  unmixed  evil  as,  in  consequence,  the  repairs,  etc., 
necessitated  have  resulted  in  notable  advances,  among  others 
the  erection  in  1913  of  a  new  fireproof  laundry  building. 

A  custom  peculiar  to  this  institution,  and  as  such  worthy  of 
mention,  is  the  collection  of  an  admission  fee  of  $20,  either  from 
relatives  or  municipalities,  for  every  patient  received  into  the 
hospital.  Dr.  Anglin  states  it  has  been  collected  as  far  back 
as  he  can  trace,  and  that  he  thinks  it  was  the  earliest  attempt  to 
get  the  municipalities  to  share  with  the  province  in  the  mainte- 
nance of  their  insane.  The  custom,  he  says,  has  become  so  well 
established  that  everyone  expects  to  pay  this  fee,  and  there  is 
never  any  objection  made  to  it.  Beyond  this  no  payment  was 
made  by  the  municipal  authorities,  the  whole  outlay  being  met  by 
the  government.  To  remedy  this,  in  1894  legislation  was  enacted 
to  charge  the  counties  $1.25  each  per  week  for  all  harmless 
patients.  This  met  with  violent  opposition.  The  list  of  harmless 
cases  made  out  by  the  then  medical  superintendent  was  an  ex- 
tremely long  one,  and  many  included  therein  were  not  admitted 
to  be  harmless  by  those  outside.  In  consequence  the  act  became 
almost  a  dead  letter.  Such  state  of  afifairs  and  the  desire  to 
increase  the  revenue  led  to  the  passage  of  a  new  act  in  1913,  to 
become  operative  at  the  beginning  of  1914.  This  demands  of  the 
counties  $1  per  week  for  all  their  insane,  whether  harmless  or 
not,  if  relatives  do  not  pay  that  amount  or  more. 

As  now  constituted,  the  institution,  including  the  annex,  has  a 
capacity  of  630,  with,  on  October  31,  191 3,  a  population  of  600, 
viz. :  332  men  and  268  women. 

New  Brunswick,  ever  since  the  inauguration  of  its  asylum 
system,  has  steadfastly  declared  against  the  incarceration  of 
lunatics,  even  temporarily,  in  prisons.  Recognizing  in  the  fullest 
degree  the  doctrine  of  state  care,  it  has  always  endeavored  to 
provide  for  all  classes  of  its  insane,  and  can  now  boast  that  it  has 
accommodation  for  all  this  hapless  part  of  its  population. 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  63 

APPENDIX  A. 

APPENDIX  TO  JOURNAL  OF  HOUSE  OF  ASSEMBLY  OF 
NEW  BRUNSWICK,  1836-37. 

To  His  Excellency  Major  General  Sir  Archibald  Campbell,  Bart.,  G.  C.  B., 
Lieutenant-Governor  and  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Province  of 
New  Brunswick,  etc. 

Your  Excellency  having  been  pleased,  in  compliance  with  the  prayer  of 
an  address  of  the  House  of  Assembly,  presented  to  Your  Excellency  during 
the  last  session  of  the  Legislature,  to  appoint  us  commissioners  "  to  ascertain 
the  most  eligible  site  near  the  City  of  Saint  John  for  a  provincial  lunatic 
asylum,  together  with  a  plan  of  the  same,  and  an  estimate  of  the  probable 
cost  of  land,  and  the  erection  of  such  buildings,  etc.,  as  may  be  required 
for  the  same ;  and  also  any  information  we  might  be  able  to  obtain 
relative  to  the  management  of  similar  institutions :"  We  beg  leave  to 
certify  to  Your  Excellency  that  we  have  given  to  the  subject  our  best  atten- 
tion, and  humbly  submit  to  Your  Excellency's  consideration  the  following 

Report. 

Our  first  care,  in  the  execution  of  the  duties  committed  to  us,  was  to 
open  a  correspondence  with  some  gentlemen  resident  in  Great  Britain  and 
the  United  States  of  America  with  a  view  to  procuring  some  information 
relative  to  the  management  of  lunatic  asylums.  In  addition  to  the  applica- 
tions which  we  forwarded  to  these  gentlemen,  we  took  the  liberty  of 
addressing  a  letter  to  William  Crane  and  L.  Allan  Wilmot,  Esquires,  who 
were  about  to  proceed  to  London  as  delegates  from  the  House  of  Assembly 
to  His  Majesty's  government,  soliciting  their  assistance  in  procuring  the 
desired  information.  As  our  letter  to  those  gentlemen  formed  the  basis 
of  those  which  we  forwarded  to  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States,  we 
shall  insert  a  copy  of  it  in  the  Appendix. 

These  different  appHcations,  we  are  happy  to  say,  have  procured  for  us 
a  great  deal  of  highly  valuable  information,  and  some  plans  from  which 
we  have  compiled  a  sketch  for  a  plan,  which,  in  our  judgment,  will  be 
well  suited  to  the  exigencies  of  the  province.  The  following  is  a  list  of 
the  works  which  have  been  sent  us,  and  for  which  our  best  thanks  are 
due  to  the  gentlemen  from  whom  they  have  been  received : 

"  Annual  Reports  of  the  Directors  of  the  Glasgow  Royal  Asylum  for 
Lunatics:"  from  the  first  (1814)  to  the  twenty-second  (1836),  except  the 
twenty-first. 

Stack's  "  Remarks  on  the  Construction  of  Public  Hospitals  for  the  Cure 
of  Mental  Derangement,  with  Plans."     1807. 

"  Regulations  of  the  Glasgow  Asylum  for  Lunatics."     1823. 

"  Charter  of  the  Glasgow  Royal  Asylum  for  Lunatics."     1833. 

"  Report  of  the  General  Committee  of  the  Glasgow  Asylum  for  Luna- 
tics."    1814. 


64  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

"  Report  to  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Massachusetts  General  Hos- 
pital."    1835. 

"  Report  of  Commissioners  to  Superintend  the  Erection  of  a  Lunatic 
Hospital  at  Worcester,"  with  a  plan.     1832. 

"  Second  and  Third  Reports  of  the  Trustees  of  the  State  Lunatic  Hospital 
at  Worcester."     1834,  1835. 

"  Ninth  Report  of  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  Prison  Discipline 
Society,  Boston."     1834. 

To  the  above  list  must  be  added  two  very  able  manuscript  reports,  the 
one  from  Dr.  Galbraith,  superintendent  of  the  Glasgow  Asylum,  addressed 
to  William  Henry  Dobie,  Esquire,  Glasgow ;  the  other  from  Dr.  Lee, 
superintendent  of  the  McLean  Asylum,  Charlestown.  addressed  to  the 
Rev.  Leuis  Dwight,  secretary  of  the  Prison  Discipline  Society.  To  those 
gentlemen,  we  think,  our  best  thanks  are  due  for  the  great  pains  they 
have  taken  to  furnish  us  with  information.  These  reports  will  also  be 
inserted  in  the  Appendix. 

In  our  letter  to  William  Crane  and  L.  Allan  Wilmot,  Esquires,  we 
expressed  an  opinion  that  "  the  number  of  insane  persons  in  the  province 
might  amount  to  about  fifty."  (See  Appendix.)  We  now  believe  that 
we  have  here  greatly  understated  the  number.  We  think  it  probable  that 
there  will  be  found  nearly  three  times  that  number,  a  conclusion  to  which 
we  have  been  led  from  having  ascertained  the  number  of  such  persons  in 
other  countries. 

The  ninth  report  (p.  86-310)  of  the  Prison  Discipline  Society  gives  a 
list  of  "  lunatics  in  the  LTnited  States,"  being  nearly  as  i  to  1000  of  the 
population,  i.  e.,  in 

Maine 399 

New  Hampshire  269 

Vermont    280 

Massachusetts    610 

Rhode  Island  97 

Connecticut    297 

New  York 1,918 

New  Jersey   320 

Pennsylvania    i,348 

Delaware    76 

Maryland    447 

Virginia  1.21 1 

North  Carolina   737 

South  Carolina    516 

Kentucky    687 

Tennessee   681 

Ohio    935 

Louisiana    215 

Indiana    I39 

Illinois    157 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  65 

Alabama    309 

Missouri    140 

Michigan  31 

Arkansas  30 

Florida    35 

District  of  Columbia 39 

Total    1 1,923 

This  list  contains  no  return  from  Georgia,  the  population  of  which  was, 
in  1832,  516,823;  nor  Mississippi,  with  136,621. 

The  population  of  the  United  States,  as  appears  from  the  letter  of  the 
Secretary  of  State  to  the  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  dated 
January  4,  1832,  was  not  exactly  ascertained  at  the  fifth  census.  The 
returns  for  the  territories  of  Florida,  Arkansas  and  Michigan,  and  the 
District  of  Columbia  were  wanting.  Mr.  W.  Gore  Ousely,  in  his  "  Re- 
marks on  the  Statistics  and  Political  Institutions  of  the  United  States," 
says  (p.  197)  that  "the  whole  population  of  the  United  States  probably 
amounts  at  present  (1832)  to  as  nearly  as  possible  13,000,000." 

With  respect  to  Scotland,  we  find  from  Brewster's  "  Edinburgh  Encyclo- 
pedia "  (edition  1819),  under  the  article  "Insanity,"  that,  "according  to 
the  returns  then  lately  furnished  in  obedience  to  the  act  of  Parliament,  from 
all  the  parishes  in  Scotland,  in  number  992,  with  the  exception  of  259,  the 
number  of  insane  persons  was  3489."  In  1821  the  population  of  Scotland 
(Cleland's  History  of  Glasgow)  was  2,093,456.  This,  without  noticing  the 
increase  in  the  population  in  the  three  years  between  1818  and  1821,  or  the 
259  parishes  sending  no  returns,  would  give  the  proportion  of  insane  per- 
sons as  I  in  600. 

We  shall  not,  we  think,  be  overstating  the  number  in  this  province  if 
we  assume  the  smaller  of  these  proportions.  We  must  consider  that  our 
early  population  came  originally  from  the  States,  and  that  we  are  subject 
to  the  same  influx  of  emigrants  as  they  are,  bringing  with  them  their  own 
diseases  and  tendencies  to  disease.  In  1834  the  population  of  the  province 
was  119,457;  the  increase  in  the  previous  10  years  was  45,281;  supposing 
the  increase  since  1834  to  be  in  the  same  ratio,  it  will  be  11,320;  making 
the  present  population  to  be  130,777.  This  would  give  at  the  rate  of  i  in 
1000,  not  50  insane  persons  as  we  at  first  supposed,  but  130. 

And  it  may  be  stated  as  a  fact,  strongly  confirmatory  of  the  correctness 
of  the  above  calculation,  that  in  the  eight  months  which  have  elapsed  since 
a  temporary  asylum  was  opened  in  St.  John,  under  the  charge  of  Dr. 
Peters  (see  Appendix),  22  patients  have  been  admitted  into  it,  all  of 
them  from  the  County  of  St.  John,  the  population  of  which  is  less  than 
22,000. 

Site. 

In  the   selection   of   a   site  proper   for   such  an   institution   many   very 
important  circumstances  must  be  taken  into  consideration.     The  situation 
must  be  a  healthy  one;  it  must  not  be  too  retired,  nor  yet  too  public;  it 
6 


66  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

must  consist  of  a  suitable  quantity  of  land  fit  both  for  garden  and  field 
tillage;  it  must  have  a  quantity  of  wood  upon  it  fit  for  fuel;  and  it  must 
possess  within  itself  the  means  of  affording  occupation  to  the  patients,  both 
male  and  female. 

Dr.  Lee's  remarks  in  his  able  report  (see  Appendix)  are  very  good 
and  seem  to  be  fully  borne  out  by  the  opinions  of  every  author  whose 
works  we  have  had  the  means  of  consulting.  "  In  the  location  of  an 
insane  hospital,  as  a  first  consideration  I  should  have  in  view  the  accom- 
plishment of  these  objects.  It  should  not  be  too  near  a  large  city,  nor 
within  half  a  mile  of  any  street  which  is,  or  will  likely  become,  a  populous 
part  of  the  town.  The  farm  should  be  so  situated  that  an  observer  at  the 
hospital  can  see  every  part  of  it,  that  any  difficulties  among  those  at  work 
or  engaged  in  sports  may  be  seen  and  prompt  assistance  afforded.  The 
location  should  be  so  elevated  as  to  command  a  full  view  of  the  surround- 
ing country;  it  should  be  in  a  region  where  the  scenery  is  varied  and 
delightful ;  a  navigable  river  bearing  on  its  basin  the  varieties  of  water 
craft;  public  roads  thronged  with  the  evidences  of  life  and  business,  but 
not  so  near  as  to  be  exciting;  populated  and  cultivated  country  should  all 
be  in  view.  These  objects  will  afford  diversion  and  interest,  excite  con- 
versation and  supply  constant  proofs  that  they  are  in  a  world  of  hope,  and 
among  beings  who  are  engaged  in  the  every-day  business  of  life." 

Fully  impressed  with  the  force  of  these  remarks,  we  have  given  a  great 
deal  of  consideration  to  the  choice  of  a  site,  and  have  carefully  examined 
several  tracts  of  land  on  both  sides  of  the  River  Saint  John.  Near  Poverty 
Hall  and  at  South  Bay  a  suitable  site  can  be  procured  on  reasonable  terms, 
and  either  of  them  we  would  respectfully  recommend  to  Your  Excellencj'. 

Plan. 

We  are  also  indebted  to  Dr.  Lee's  suggestions  for  a  sketch  for  a  plan, 
which  we  have  the  honor  to  submit  to  Your  Excellency's  consideration, 
which  seems  to  us  to  be  divested  of  most  of  the  inconveniences  complained 
of  in  other  establishments  of  the  same  kind,  and  to  possess  advantages 
peculiarly  its  own.  Dr.  Lee  informs  us  that  it  is  a  modification  of  the  plan 
of  the  lunatic  hospital  at  Worcester,  an  elevation  and  description  of  which 
will  be  found  in  the  "  Report  of  the  Commissioners." 

Your  Excellency  will  perceive  on  reference  to  the  plan  that  it  consists 
of  a  center  building  ii6  feet  in  length,  50  feet  in  width,  and  two  stories 
high  above  the  basement.  The  basement  is  designed  to  contain  in  front 
the  kitchen,  laundry,  dairy  room,  cellars,  surgery,  etc.,  and  in  the  rear, 
kitchens,  cellars,  and  servants'  rooms  for  the  superintendent,  matron  and 
principal  officers.  Over  these  in  rear  of  the  ground  floor  will  be  the 
apartments  for  those  officers. 

In  front  of  the  ground  floor  will  be  rooms  designed  for  a  reading  room 
for  the  convalescent  patients,  and  adjoining  it  a  committee  room  (these 
two  rooms  may  be  thrown  together  and  used  as  a  chapel),  a  billiard  room, 
visitors'  room,  office  and  library. 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  67 

The  upper  story  may  be  laid  out  in  two  dormitories,  each  with  a  day 
room,  one  for  male,  the  other  for  female  patients  of  the  lower  class,  who 
may  be  "convalescent,  quiet  and  cleanly."  (See  Dr.  Galbraith's  report  in 
Appendix.) 

On  each  side  of  this  center  building  it  is  proposed  to  attach  a  ward 
building,  87  feet  in  length,  46  feet  in  width,  and  the  same  height  as  the 
center.  These  ward  buildings  are  to  fall  back  30  feet,  to  secure  a  thorough 
and  perfect  ventilation  both  of  themselves  and  the  center.  This  mode  of 
construction  is  considered  decidedly  preferable  to  the  plan  adopted  at  Glas- 
gow (see  Stark's  remarks),  "because,"  as  Dr.  Lee  observes,  "if  the  dif- 
ferent buildings  are  situated  diagonally  or  at  right  angles  with  each  other 
sound  will  be  communicated  from  one  building  to  another,  patients  see  each 
other,  from  opposite  windows  overlook  each  other's  yards  or  courts,  and 
make  signals  from  one  to  another."  (See  Dr.  Lee's  report  in  Appendix.) 
By  the  arrangement  in  the  plan  here  submitted  to  Your  Excellency,  most 
of  these  evils  are  avoided.  At  the  same  time,  "  in  consequence  of  the 
wings  falling  back  half  their  width,  as  before  mentioned,  in  the  rear  of 
the  center  building,  the  halls  communicate  at  both  ends  with  the  external 
air,  and  thus  the  means  of  a  most  thorough  ventilation  are  secured.  Who- 
ever has  visited  any  public  establishment  where  the  entire  end  of  a  wing 
is  met  and  closed  in  by  the  side  of  the  main  building,  cannot  fail  to  have 
perceived  the  noisomeness  of  the  atmosphere  at  that  place  compared  with 
it  at  the  outer  end,  where  free  admission  has  been  given  to  the  pure  air." 
(See  report  of  Commissioners  of  Lunatic  Hospital  at  Worcester,  p.  5.) 

Dr.  Lee  recommends  the  erection  of  three  such  ward  buildings  on  each 
side  of  the  center  one  as  we  have  laid  down,  each  falling  back  behind  the 
other;  and  the  limiting  of  the  number  of  patients  on  each  floor  of  each 
ward  to  10  (see  Appendix),  making  20  in  each  ward.  Three  wards  on 
each  side  would  thus  afford  separate  sleeping  apartments  for  120  patients, 
60  of  each  sex.  It  is  designed  that  each  floor  should  have  an  attendants' 
room,  a  room  for  sick  patients,  a  bathing  room,  water  closet  and  laundry 
closet,  in  addition  to  the  10  sleeping  rooms  for  the  patients,  and  a  day 
room  and  dining  room  for  their  use.  All  these  rooms  will  open  on  a 
spacious  hall  or  gallery  10  feet  wide,  well  ventilated  and  lighted,  and 
warmed  either  by  stoves  or  hot  air  furnaces.  All  the  dining  rooms  will 
be  supplied  with  a  dumb  waiter,  by  means  of  which  food  will  be  raised 
from  the  porter's  lodge  in  the  basement. 

The  basements  of  the  ward  buildings  are  designed  to  contain  each  a 
spacious  wood  cellar  and  furnace  room,  receiving  room  for  new  patients, 
workshops  for  tailors,  shoemakers  and  other  artisans  using  sharp  tools,  to 
which  it  would  be  dangerous  to  allow  unrestricted  access  to  the  patients 
in  general,  spinning  room  for  females,  etc.  In  the  attics,  sleeping  apart- 
ments can  be  provided  for  the  domestics  and  other  inferior  officers  of 
the  establishment 

At  the  back  of  each  building  it  is  proposed  to  lay  out  a  court,  in  which 
the  patients  can  take  exercise,  with  a  covered  way  on  each  side  to  protect 
them  from  sun  and  rain,  that  they  may  take  exercise  in  all  states  of  the 


68  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE    OF   THE   INSANE 

weather.  In  one  of  them  should  be  a  bowling  green  for  the  men.  At  the 
rear  of  all  these  courts,  except  one  on  each  side,  will  be  a  shed  for  a 
workshop ;  at  the  rear  of  the  excepted  one  will  be  a  lodge  for  eight  f rantics 
of  each  sex,  with  apartments  for  attendants,  etc. 

If  this  plan  be  adopted,  to  the  extent  recommended  by  Dr.  Lee,  accom- 
modation will  be  provided  for  the  following  patients  of  each  sex :  Ten 
on  each  floor  of  Ward  No.  i,  for  patients  of  the  highest  class,  paying  the 
highest  rate  of  board ;  ten  on  each  floor  of  No.  2,  for  patients  of  a  class 
somewhat  inferior  to  these,  paying  the  second  rate  of  board ;  ten  on  each 
floor  of  No.  3,  for  patients  of  lower  rank,  paying  the  third  rate  of  board — 
in  all  120;  forty  paupers  in  the  dormitories,  paying  the  lowest  rate  of 
board.  These  with  16  frantics  in  the  lodges  will  give  a  total  of  176. 
Should  it  be  determined  to  make  the  asylum  a  place  of  confinement  for 
criminal  lunatics,  the  lodges  must  be  made  two  stories  high  to  admit  them. 

This  plan  has  been  submitted  to  the  inspection  of  Mr.  Warren,  an 
experienced  architect,  who  has  carefully  examined  all  its  details,  and 
favored  us  with  some  valuable  suggestions  with  respect  to  the  mode  of 
executing  it.  He  recommends  that  the  buildings  should  be  constructed  of 
rough  stone,  if  that  material  can  be  found  in  sufficient  quantity  at  hand ; 
or  if  not,  of  brick;  and  that  the  walls  should  be  built  hollow,  as  at  the 
hospital  at  Worcester.  "  To  prevent  unhealthy  moisture,"  say  the  commis- 
sioners, "  from  being  deposited  upon  the  inside  walls  of  the  edifice,  an 
interstice  or  open  space  is  left  between  the  external  and  internal  courses 
of  bricks,  the  courses  being  strongly  fastened  together  by  tiles,  so  that 
a  free  circulation  of  air  through  all  the  exterior  walls,  from  the  under- 
pinning to  the  attic,  will  effectually  obviate  that  almost  universal  incon- 
venience of  brick  habitations."  (See  report  of  Commissioners,  p.  7.) 
Mr.  Warren  recommends  this  mode  of  building,  both  because  it  is  invari- 
ably found  to  be  an  effectual  preservative  against  damp,  and  because  the 
great  expense  of  furring  and  lathing  is  rendered  unnecessary.  He  also 
recommends  that  all  the  floors  should  be  double,  and  that  a  thick  coat 
of  plaster  should  be  laid  down  between  the  two  floors. 

Estimate. 

Without  having  gone  very  minutely  into  a  specification,  Mr.  Warren 
estimates  the  center  building,  three  ward  buildings  on  each  side,  four 
work  shops,  and  two  one-story  lodges,  at  less  than  £8000. 

The  probable  cost  of  furniture  will  be  £2000,  the  land  will  cost  from 
£700  to  £1500,  according  to  the  quantity  which  may  be  purchased. 

It  may,  perhaps,  be  thought  that  the  proposed  plan  is  on  a  larger  scale 
than  the  exigencies  of  the  province  require,  both  as  it  respects  the  quantity 
of  land,  and  the  size  of  the  buildings.  But  we  have  observed  that  in 
every  one  of  the  institutions  of  which  we  have  accounts  the  insufiicient 
quantity  of  land  and  the  inadequate  size  of  the  buildings  are  deeply  re- 
gretted and  are  constantly  occasioning  very  great  expense.  At  Glasgow 
(see  accounts  in  Appendix)  the  expense  of  additions  to  the  grounds  and 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  69 

buildings  has  amounted  to  almost  the  original  cost  of  them.  At  Worcester, 
before  the  end  of  two  years,  additional  land  and  buildings  were  found 
necessary,  and  it  was  with  very  great  difficulty  and  expense  that  the  new 
buildings  could  be  so  contrived  as  to  be  attached  to  the  original  plan.  And 
Dr.  Halliday,  writing  on  the  "  Insane  Hospitals  of  Great  Britain,"  says : 
"The  great  objection  to  the  generality  of  the  public  asylums  in  England 
is  their  want  of  space  and  of  a  sufficient  quantity  of  ground  on  which  the 
patients  can  be  employed  in  agricultural  labor." 

But  the  greatest  injury  which  is  found  to  arise  from  want  of  sufficient 
space  in  the  buildings  proceeds  from  the  utter  impossibihty  of  effecting 
such  a  classification  of  the  patients  as  the  proper  treatment  of  the  disease 
requires.  At  Glasgow  they  formed  their  plan  on  the  presumption  that  it 
would  be  sufficient  to  divide  the  patients  into  male  and  female,  and  then 
into  boarders  and  paupers ;  but  it  was  instantly  found  upon  trial  that  a 
more  extensive  subdivision  was  necessary.  Of  each  of  these  classes  some 
were  frantic,  others  noisy  and  troublesome  to  the  quiet  patients,  some  were 
industrious,  while  others  were  idle  and  mischievous ;  some  required  re- 
straint, others  might  be  safely  trusted  to  go  at  large ;  some  required  con- 
stant attendance,  others  could  be  allowed  to  mix  with  the  family  of  the 
superintendent,  and  were  even  made  useful  in  the  family.  It  was  also 
found  that  among  the  boarders  those  of  the  higher  classes  would  not 
associate  with  those  who  were  inferior  to  themselves.  "  Patients  who 
have  been  liberally  educated  and  have  been  accustomed  to  the  elegancies 
of  polished  life  and  manners  often  retain  a  fastidious  taste  and  a  proud 
sense  of  their  superiority.  They  feel  indignant  unless  their  accommoda- 
tions be  of  a  superior  kind  and  are  apt  to  be  offended  when  exposed  to 
the  company  and  conversation  of  any  person  whom  they  may  deem  to  be 
an  unworthy  associate."  (See  seventh  Glasgow  report,  p.  15.)  On  points 
of  etiquette,  the  insane  are  found  to  be  very  tenacious,  and  as  it  is  laid 
down  as  a  fundamental  principle  in  the  mode  of  successfully  treating  the 
disease  that  "  to  all  sorts  of  persons  should  be  afforded  accommodations 
and  attendance  suitable  to  their  rank  in  society,  and  such  as  they  may  have 
been  accustomed  to,  and  may  again  enjoy  should  it  please  God  to  restore 
them  to  their  reason"  (see  Appendix),  it  has  been  deemed  essentially 
necessary  so  to  construct  the  buildings  as  to  admit  of  this  diversity  of 
accommodations  for  the  different  classes  of  patients.  Even  at  Worcester, 
an  institution  founded  for  the  reception  of  the  convicted  and  pauper  lunatics 
of  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  it  was  found  impossible  to  manage  the 
patients  without  subjecting  them  to  a  classification  as  minute  as  that  for 
which  we  have  endeavored  to  provide  in  the  plan  which  we  have  prepared. 

Expenditure. 
The  reports  which  we  have  received  contain  accounts  of  the  annual  expen- 
diture of  the  three  asylums  at  Glasgow,  Worcester  and  Charlestown.  But 
we  beg  to  call  Your  Excellency's  particular  attention  to  a  most  important 
fact,  which  is,  that  under  proper  management  an  asylum  for  lunatics  may 
be  made  to  support  itself.    We  shall  annex  to  this  report  (see  Appendix) 


70  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE    OF    THE    INSANE 

a  table  showing  the  expenditure  and  receipts  of  the  Glasgow  Asylum  from 
its  commencement,  by  which  it  will  appear  that  the  board  of  the  patients 
yielded  a  very  considerable  profit,  even  at  the  moderate  rates  of,  for 

Per  week. 

Paupers   8s.  6d. 

Paupers  of  out-parishes  los. 

ist-class  boarders  15s. 

2d-class  boarders   21s. 

3d-class  boarders   31s.  6d. 

4th-class  boarders 42s. 

(With  private  servant.) 

£        s.     d. 

The  buildings  cost  at  different  times  during  22  years 31.094    9  H/^ 

The  subscriptions  to  meet  the  same 28,838    5  10^ 


2,256    4  I 

Expenses  of  the  establishment 44,084    6  3^ 

Salaries  of  officers 8,879  16  6^ 

Wages  of  servants 5,977  I9  i 

Cost  of  furniture 5,454  i?  6 

Loans  and  investments 5,i33  15  9 

Charges    4075     3  10 


£  s.  d.         75.862      3      I 

Receipts  for  board  of  patients 72,988    5  4 

Interest  on  investments 207  19  8 

Loans  3,580    0  o 

Balance  in  favor  of  institution 914     i  11 


76,776    5  o        T^ai^    5    o 

From  the  foregoing  statement  it  appears  that  the  receipts  for  the  board 
of  patients  exceeded  the  expenses  of  the  establishment,  the  salaries  and 
wages,  the  cost  of  furniture,  and  the  amount  of  the  charges ;  contributed 
upwards  of  two  thousand  pounds  towards  the  buildings ;  furnished  means 
for  investing  £1500,  and  left  a  considerable  balance  in  hand.  And  in 
every  institution  of  which  we  can  get  any  account  there  appears  to  be  a 
similar  result. 

But  it  should  be  observed  that  in  neither  of  these  institutions,  more  par- 
ticularly that  at  Glasgow,  is  it  possible  to  make  the  labor  of  the  patients 
profitable  from  want  of  space.  "  The  labors  of  the  patients,"  says  the 
eighth  report,  "  are,  as  formerly,  the  means  both  of  some  gain  and  of 
considerable  saving.  A  great  deal  of  useful  labor  has  been  performed  in 
the  airing  grounds  by  the  males."  "  But  now,"  says  the  thirteenth  report, 
"  that  the  laborious  operations  of  levelling  the  garden  and  of  digging  away 
the  great  mass  of  earth  which  had  to  be  removed  on  account  of  the  addi- 
tional wards  are  no  longer  required,  our  male  patients  of  the  lower  classes 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  7I 

are  at  a  loss  for  appropriate  occupation."  And  yet  under  such  circum- 
stances, the  institution  has  more  than  maintained  itself. 

Want  of  space,  therefore,  in  the  buildings  and  grounds,  is  an  evil  against 
which,  in  the  proposed  institution  in  this  province,  we  ought  to  take  most 
especial  care  to  guard,  not  more  for  the  public  benefit  than  for  the  advantage 
of  the  patients  themselves.  Eh".  Lee  says  "that  constant  occupation  and 
labor  contribute  more  than  anything  else  to  their  recovery."  Dr.  Aber- 
crombie,  an  eminent  physician  at  Edinburgh,  author  of  "  Inquiry  into  the 
Intellectual  Powers,  and  the  Investigation  of  Truth,"  says,  with  respect  to 
bodily  occupation,  "  where  this  can  be  accomplished  in  such  a  manner  as 
fully  to  occupy  the  attention  and  produce  fatigue,  there  is  reason  to  believe 
that  much  benefit  may  result  from  it."  Dr.  Gregory,  also  an  eminent 
physician,  and  author  of  the  "  Conspectus  Medicinse  Theoreticae,"  mentions 
"a  farmer  in  the  north  of  Scotland  who  had  acquired  uncommon  celebrity 
in  the  treatment  of  the  insane,  and  his  method  consisted  chiefly  in  having 
them  constantly  employed  in  the  most  severe  bodily  labor." 

We  shall  now  produce  some  instances  of  the  successful  introduction  of 
manual  labor  into  asylums  in  different  places.  Dr.  Pinel,  for  many  years 
superintendent  of  the  celebrated  asylum  in  the  Bicetre  at  Paris,  and  author 
of  some  valuable  works  on  the  treatment  of  the  insane,  says  that  "  at  the 
principal  hospitals  in  Spain,  those  of  the  insane  capable  of  working  are 
distributed  every  morning  into  separate  parties ;  an  overlooker  is  deputed 
to  each  class,  who  apportions  to  them  individually  their  respective  employ- 
ments, directs  their  exertions  and  watches  over  their  conduct.  The  whole 
day  is  thus  occupied  in  salutary  and  refreshing  exercises,  which  are 
interrupted  only  by  short  intervals  of  rest  and  relaxation.  The  fatigues 
of  the  day  prepare  the  laborers  for  sleep  and  repose  during  the  night. 
Hence,  it  happens  that  those  whose  condition  does  not  place  them  above 
the  necessity  of  submission  to  toil  and  labor  are  almost  always  cured ;  whilst 
the  grandee,  who  would  think  himself  degraded  by  exercise  of  this  descrip- 
tion, is  generally  incurable." 

Dr.  Halliday  (Sir  Andrew  Halliday,  one  of  the  Royal  physicians  at 
Hampton  Court,  who  has  the  merit  of  having  been  the  first  to  call  the 
public  attention  to  the  disgraceful  state  of  the  lunatic  asylum  in  Great 
Britain,  in  an  anonymous  pamphlet  addressed  to  the  Marquis  of  Lansdown, 
then  Lord  Henry  Petty,  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer),  says:  "At  Wake- 
field the  patients  have  uniformly  been  kept  employed  at  their  various  trades 
and  in  agricultural  labor,  and  the  best  results  have  followed  this  judicious 
system."  Dr.  Ellis,  then  superintendent  of  the  Wakefield  Asylum, "now 
director  of  the  Middlesex  County  Asylum  at  Hanwell,  says  they  have  there 
"  not  only  farming  and  gardening,  but  all  trades  have  been  forced  into  the 
service ;  we  have  spinners,  weavers,  tailors,  shoemakers,  brewers,  bakers, 
blacksmiths,  joiners,  painters,  bricklayers  and  stonemasons,  all  employed. 
Besides  the  great  and  evident  benefit  which  this  system  has  had  in  the 
recovery  of  the  patients  themselves  (for  many  never  begin  to  amend  until 
we  have  induced  them  to  engage  in  such  employments),  it  is  a  source  of 
great  saving  to  the  institution ;  for,  notwithstanding  that  we  have  for  many 


y2  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

years  received  only  seven  shillings  a  week  for  a  pauper,  a  fund  has  accumu- 
lated which  by  the  end  of  the  year  will  exceed  £3000." 

The  third  report  of  the  Worcester  Hospital  says :  "  We  find  the  working 
men  always  inclined  to  labor.  Shut  up  in  our  halls,  or  in  their  cells,  they 
are  unhappy,  restless,  discontented,  and  in  consequence  less  mild  and  docile, 
often  troublesome.  But  when  suflfered  to  go  out  into  the  field  and  garden 
to  labor,  their  whole  nature  seems  changed  at  once.  They  become  cheer- 
ful and  healthy.  Appetite  and  sleep  are  promoted,  and  the  chances  of 
recovery  greatly  increased."  The  male  patients  in  1835,  with  only  one 
farmer  to  direct  them,  raised  produce  to  the  estimated  value  of  $849.50, 
and,  besides  much  other  labor  about  the  grounds,  new  buildings,  walks, 
etc.,  cut,  sawed,  and  piled  from  200  to  300  cords  of  wood,  with  the  help  of 
the  farmer."    p.  27. 

The  labor  of  the  female  patients  is  equally  productive  and  valuable.  At 
Glasgow  (eighth  report)  "  a  great  supply  of  bed  and  table  linen  has  been 
made  from  yarn  spun  by  the  females.  Some  of  the  patients  have  become 
expert  assistants  to  keepers,  and  faithful  in  performing  what  they  under- 
take." At  Richmond  (Ireland)  "during  the  year  not  less  than  3188  skeins 
of  yarn,  406  pairs  of  men's  and  319  pairs  of  women's  stockings  were  knit; 
and  of  linen  worn  in  the  establishment,  there  were  made  by  the  female 
patients  for  the  use  of  the  inmates  140  sheets,  180  chemises,  115  pillow 
cases,  56  pairs  of  sheets,  53  rollers,  83  bodices,  80  night  caps,  besides  the 
whole  clothing  of  the  male  and  female  attendants."  Accounts  quite  as 
favorable  as  these  are  given  of  the  asylums  at  Lancaster,  Stafford,  Glou- 
cester and  Armagh. 

Enough  must  have  been  adduced,  we  think,  to  show  beyond  contradiction 
the  value  of  manual  labor,  both  to  the  patients  themselves  and  to  the  institu- 
tion. But  in  an  establishment  of  this  kind  there  will  always  be  found  some 
patients  whose  station  in  society  or  previous  habits  have  been  such  as  not 
to  have  called  forth  exertions  in  such  occupations,  and  who  may,  therefore, 
be  indisposed  to  labor.  For  such  patients,  employment  of  another  kind 
must  be  found,  both  bodily  and  mental. 

Amusements. 
At  Glasgow  they  have  provided  a  billiard  table  and  bowling  green.  They 
have  also  a  well-selected  library,  and  several  of  the  periodical  publications 
and  newspapers  are  taken  in.  They  have  constantly  music  parties,  the 
patients  being  the  performers,  while  the  other  patients  are  admitted  as 
auditors,  and  listen  to  the  performances  with  great  delight.  (Third  report.) 
Some  of  them  are  literary  characters,  and  spend  much  of  their  time  in 
the  composition  both  of  prose  and  poetry,  some  very  pleasing  specimens 
of  which  are  to  be  found  in  the  different  reports.  Of  late  a  manuscript 
newspaper  has  been  compiled  and  circulated  among  the  patients  which  has 
given  them  great  satisfaction.  (Twenty-second  report.)  In  addition  to 
these  sedentary  occupations,  other  active  employments  have  been  intro- 
duced. At  the  McLean  Asylum,  in  the  daytime,  many  are  occupied  in 
bowling,  quoits,  throwing  the  ring,  etc.,  and  in  the  evening  they  assemble 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  73 

for  dancing,  marching,  etc.  It  matters  little  what  the  employment  or 
occupation  may  be,  so  that  it  is  constant  and  varied,  for  the  time  has 
come,  as  Dr.  Lee  observes,  "  when  to  allow  a  man  to  indulge  his  reveries 
in  idleness  until  he  has  sunk  into  a  state  of  confirmed  insanity  will  be 
considered,  as  it  deserves  to  be,  a  gross  and  cruel  neglect  of  duty."  (See 
Appendix.) 

Religious  Worship  and  Insteuction. 

The  subject  which  we  have  next  to  bring  under  Your  Excellency's  con- 
sideration is  one  with  respect  to  which  there  is  on  all  hands  a  perfect 
agreement,  viz :  the  importance  of  introducing  religious  worship  and  in- 
struction into  every  asylum  for  the  insane.  On  this  point  there  is  not 
the  slightest  difference  of  opinion ;  all  concur  in  pronouncing  it  a  measure 
of  great  and  indispensable  importance.  From  the  different  reports  and 
other  works  before  us  we  shall  select  some  of  the  passages  which  relate  to  it. 

"  As  to  religious  instruction,"  says  an  anonymous  letter  on  the  treatment 
of  lunatics,  "  it  is  not  an  experiment  of  yesterday,  for  the  judicious  religious 
instruction  of  those  who  are  recovering  has  been  in  use  a  great  number  of 
years  at  Bethlem  Hospital  under  two  successive  chaplains ;  nor  did  that 
hospital  adopt  the  plan  until  such  accumulated  evidence  poured  in  from  all 
England  and  Scotland  as  could  not  be  resisted.  (The  last  returns  gave  a 
proportion  of  "j"/  under  religious  instruction  out  of  220  then  in  the  house.) 
The  same  system  is  pursued  at  Hanwell  (the  Middlesex  County  Asylum), 
and  indeed  spectators  have  often  observed  that  the  behavior  of  the  insane 
during  public  worship  is  such  as  need  not  fear  a  comparison  with  that  of 
the  most  sane  congregation  wherever  assembled.  I  have  known  cases  in 
which  the  highest  possible  comfort  has  been  administered  by  the  chaplain, 
both  in  health  and  sickness,  to  the  poor  patients,  whose  gratitude  has  been 
expressed  down  to  the  latest  opportunity.  Indeed,  when  we  consider  how 
frequently  it  happens,  that  much  wandering  will  appear  on  a  given  subject, 
while  in  all  cases  the  mind  will  preserve  its  tone,  it  would  be  neither 
philosophic  nor  Christian  to  withhold  a  remedy  of  God's  own  providing, 
in  those  cases,  where  no  particular  reason  for  doing  so  is  to  be  found." 

In  the  sixth  Glasgow  report  is  the  following  very  interesting  passage : 
"  In  compliance  with  the  wish  of  many  of  the  patients  a  sermon,  with  the 
usual  forms  of  divine  service,  as  in  church,  was  preached  in  the  asylum. 
The  same  service  has  been  repeated  on  the  evening  of  every  third  or  fourth 
Sabbath  since  that  time.  About  50  of  the  patients  have  usually  attended 
and  have  invariably  behaved  with  the  utmost  decorum.  At  the  close  of 
the  first  of  these  interesting  meetings  one  of  the  boarders  of  superior  rank 
respectfully  approached  the  clergyman  and  gratefully  thanked  him  "  for 
his  kind  condescension  in  preaching  to  the  unfortunate  inmates  of  the 
asylum,"  adding  that  he  himself  felt  "  peculiarly  gratified  that  now  he  was 
thought  worthy  to  attend  divine  service." 

"  Whatever  opinion  may  be  entertained  of  the  probable  effect  of  these 
sermons,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  merely  to  arrest  the  attention  of  the 
insane  has  often  no  small  influence  in  restoring  reason.     In  a  person  at 


74  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

large  and  receiving  highly  varied  and  strong  impressions  almost  every 
moment  of  his  waking  hours  the  service  of  the  Sabbath  may  not  excite 
very  strong  interest  when  compared  with  many  of  the  daily  occurrences. 
But  to  one  who  is  shut  up  from  the  world  and  with  whom  every  day  is 
alike  the  breaking  in  upon  the  ordinary  routine  b}'  a  set  of  observances,  at 
once  singular  and  solemn,  cannot  fail  to  make  impression  and  to  fix  atten- 
tion in  a  high  degree.  Accordingly,  the  fact  is,  that  during  all  the  sermons 
which  have  hitherto  been  preached  the  most  loquacious  have  remained  silent, 
the  restless  have  become  composed,  and  all  have  kept  their  eyes  steadily 
fixed  upon  the  clergyman,  as  if  anxious  to  hear  and  to  appreciate  every 
word  of  his  discourse.  Besides  on  that  day  when  the  maniac  is  debarred 
from  his  usual  sports  and  employments,  with  no  resource  but  the  society 
of  beings  like  himself,  he  is  too  apt  to  lounge  away  the  hours  in  listless 
apathy,  brooding  over  his  own  vain  imaginations ;  or  perhaps  to  give 
loose  thought  to  the  mischievous  propensities  engendered  by  his  distorted 
conceptions.  Any  employment  tending  thus  to  break  in  upon  uniformity 
and  innocently  to  occupy  idle  time  would  be  useful.  But  how  much  more 
benefit  may  we  not  expect  to  accrue  from  an  employment  which  is  naturally 
soothing  and  consolatory?  Independently  of  the  sermon  itself,  the  assem- 
bling together  for  one  purpose,  and  that  purpose  of  the  most  solemn  kind — 
the  tendency  which  worship  has  to  carry  the  mind  back  to  earlier  and  more 
happy  times — the  meeting  of  voices  in  sacred  melody,  rendered  interesting 
by  various  associations,  are  all  calculated  to  throw  a  gleam  of  peace  over 
the  most  perturbed  spirits.  And  who  knows  but  by  striking  upon  these 
chords  of  feeling,  which  vibrated  often  in  happier  days,  some  long  lost 
train  of  recollection  may  rush  over  the  soul,  sweeping  away  those  phantoms 
of  lunacy  which  often  veil  the  past  from  the  present  man,  and  blend  with 
every  ray  of  hope  the  gloom  of  despondency?" 

After  a  trial  of  four  years  the  directors  of  the  asylum,  satisfied  with 
the  beneficial  results  of  the  plan,  "  resolved  to  appoint  a  chaplain  who  has 
regularly  performed  divine  service  in  the  asylum  once  a  fortnight."  "  The 
patients  who  are  selected  to  attend  are  usually  about  70  in  number,  and 
either  are  convalescent  or  have  manifested  a  remission  of  their  malady. 
Liberty  to  attend  is  at  first  granted  as  a  test  of  improvement  and  always 
as  a  favor.  They  behave  with  great  decorum,  and  several  of  them  who  are 
still  under  some  degree  of  excitation  appear  to  derive  benefit  from  the 
restraint  which  they  impose  upon  themselves  during  divine  service." 

"  We  have  now  for  several  years  had  experience  of  the  practice  of 
preaching  in  the  asylum,  and  far  from  attempting  to  determine  the  precise 
degrees  of  the  powers  of  attention,  recollection  and  judgment  which  are 
necessary  to  qualify  human  beings  for  joining  in  public  worship,  we  are 
rather  disposed  to  allow  full  weight  to  the  sentiment  conveyed  in  the 
following  extract  from  an  interesting  letter  addressed  to  the  chaplain  by 
one  of  our  patients :  '  We  know  of  no  law  whereby  the  prayers,  entreaties, 
tears  and  sorrows,  even  of  lunatics,  are  debarred  from  the  throne  above.'  " 

After  another  trial  for  the  further  space  of  four  years,  the  directors 
resolved  to  build  a  chapel,  with  seats  to  accommodate  100  persons.     This 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  75 

building  is  finished  in  a  plain  but  neat  style,  and  forms  a  very  commodious 
place  of  worship.  It  was  opened  for  divine  service  6th  July,  1828.  (See 
fifteenth  report.)  Satisfactory  as  this  testimony  is  to  the  value  of  religious 
worship  and  instruction,  that  of  the  directors  of  the  McLean  Asylum  to 
the  same  point  is  equally  strong. 

"  We  have  introduced,"  says  the  report,  "  religious  service  on  the  Sab- 
bath. For  eight  months  from  30  to  40  have  daily  attended  on  our  family 
worship,  and  in  no  instance  has  there  been  any  disturbance,  nor  have  we 
known  of  any  injurious  effect;  on  the  contrary,  the  influence  has  been 
highly  salutary,  and  many  who  have  recovered  have  spoken  of  these  exer- 
cises as  having  contributed  to  their  restoration." 

"  The  experiment  of  allowing  the  patients  to  attend  the  worship  of  the 
family  has  far  exceeded  our  expectations,  and  has  been  attended  with  the 
best  results.  Ninety-five  out  of  137  have  attended  upon  these  exercises, 
and  a  large  part  of  them  with  great  regularity.  It  has  been  with  few 
exceptions  entirely  voluntary.  It  is  regarded  as  a  privilege,  and  as  such  is 
eagerly  sought.  The  sHghtest  irregularity  of  conduct  has  been  followed 
by  the  omission  of  the  individual  from  the  list  for  a  few  evenings,  and 
this  deprivation  has  secured  order  and  propriety.  Patients  who  could  not 
otherwise  be  kept  decently  clothed  have  exerted  their  powers  of  self- 
control  to  be  allowed  to  attend.  One  female,  who  was  habitually  noisy, 
obscene  and  profane,  after  having  repeatedly  solicited  this  privilege,  was 
told  one  morning  that  she  should  attend  that  evening  if  she  kept  quiet 
during  the  day.  She  provided  herself  with  a  stocking,  which  she  rolled 
into  a  ball,  carried  in  her  hand,  and  pressed  into  her  mouth  whenever  she 
felt  her  propensity  active,  and  thus  guarded  she  attended  prayers  and  con- 
ducted herself  with  becoming  propriety ;  she  is  now  a  regular  attendant 
upon  these  and  other  exercises  of  the  family ;  is  quiet,  industrious  and 
rational." 

And  Dr.  Lee,  the  superintendent,  in  his  manuscript  report  addressed  to 
the  Rev.  Lewis  Dwight,  says  (see  Appendix)  :  "  We  assemble  them  every 
evening  for  family  worship,  which  consists  in  reading  a  chapter  of  the  Bible, 
and  singing  two  hymns  and  a  prayer.  We  have  religious  service  performed 
by  a  clergyman  once  a  fortnight  in  our  house,  which  we  attend.  You  can 
testify  to  the  order  and  attention  which  characterize  these  meetings,  and 
I  can  testify  to  their  salutary  influence;  they  carry  the  mind  back  to  the 
memory  of  other  and  better  days,  and  they  cause  them  to  recollect  the 
infinite  goodness  and  all-wise  providence  of  God." 

The  third  report  of  the  trustees  of  the  State  Lunatic  Hospital  at  Worces- 
ter to  the  Governor  and  Council  observes  that  "  the  introduction  of 
religious  exercises  has  been  thought  important,  and  as  such  is  submitted 
to  your  consideration.  The  subject  of  a  chapel  has  been  suggested  and 
strongly  recommended  by  the  acting  Governor.  The  reading  of  the  Scrip- 
tures and  appropriate  prayers  on  week  days  and  such  a  discourse  and  other 
religious  teaching  as  would  be  suitable  on  the  Sabbath  would  be  beneficial 
by  a  moral  and  mental  exercise." 


J^  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

"  The  Sabbath  is  at  present  the  most  tedious  of  the  days.  Amusements 
are  laid  aside,  and  labor  is  suspended ;  a  large  proportion  of  the  inmates 
spend  the  day  in  idleness,  and  often  in  a  state  of  irritation  not  at  all 
conducive  to  comfort  or  recovery.  If  a  proportion  were  suffered  to  visit 
a  chapel  daily  others  vi^ould  be  desirous  of  the  same  privilege,  and  thus  a 
motive  to  quiet  and  self-control  would  be  constantly  active,  and  would  not 
fail  to  produce  a  favorable  influence." 

Cure  of  the  Disease. 

There  is  now  only  one  point  which  we  think  it  necessary  to  bring  under 
Your  Excellency's  consideration — the  importance  of  asylums  for  the  cure 
of  the  disease.  It  is  the  decided  opinion  of  most  persons  who  have 
investigated  the  subject  that  insanity  is  on  the  increase.  But  at  the  same 
time  it  is  consolatory  to  observe  that  the  disease  is  not  now  considered  of 
so  formidable  a  nature  as  it  used  to  be,  because  it  is  found  easily  to  yield 
to  judicious  treatment  timely  applied.  We  shall  select  some  passages  from 
authors  of  established  credit,  under  the  impression  that  the  testimony  of 
persons  experienced  in  the  disease  will  have  more  weight  than  any  specula- 
tions of  our  own. 

Dr.  Abercrombie  (p.  21)  says  that  "an  important  rule  in  the  moral 
management  of  the  insane  will  be  to  avoid  every  allusion  to  the  subject  of 
their  hallucination,  to  remove  from  them  everything  calculated  by  associa- 
tion to  lead  to  it,  and  to  separate  them  from  scenes  and  persons  likely  to 
recall  or  keep  up  the  erroneous  impression.  Hence,  probably  in  a  great 
measure  arises  the  remarkable  benefit  of  removing  the  insane  from  their 
usual  residence,  friends  and  attendants  and  placing  them  in  new  scenes  and 
entirely  under  the  care  of  strangers.  The  actual  effect  of  this  measure  is 
familiar  to  every  one  who  is  in  any  degree  conversant  with  the  manage- 
ment of  the  insane.  That  the  measure  may  have  its  full  effect,  it  appears 
to  be  of  importance  that  the  patient  should  not,  for  a  considerable  time, 
be  visited  by  any  friend  or  acquaintance ;  but  should  be  separated  from 
everything  connected  with  his  late  erroneous  associations.  The  danger 
also  is  well  known  which  attends  premature  return  to  home  and  common 
associates,  immediate  relapse  having  often  followed  this  in  cases  which 
had  been  going  on  for  some  time  in  the  most  favorable  manner." 

"  It  is  well  known,"  says  the  author  of  the  article  on  insanity  in  Brew- 
ster's Encyclopedia,  that  even  "  after  the  diseased  state  has  been  corrected, 
and  the  symptoms  alleviated  by  the  judicious  use  of  medicine,  a  slight 
occurrence  tending  to  irritate  the  mind  is  sufficient  to  destroy  in  one  mo- 
ment all  the  benefit  produced,  and  to  give  rise  to  an  immediate  increase  of 
violence  in  the  symptoms.  Moral  circumstances  must  be  attended  to  from 
the  very  beginning.  The  first  and  most  important  step  is  to  remove  the 
patient  from  his  own  home  and  from  all  the  objects  which  he  has  been 
accustomed  to  see.  His  false  notions  and  harassing  impressions  are  asso- 
ciated in  his  mind  with  the  objects  exposed  to  his  senses  during  the  approach 
of  his  disease.  His  relations  have  become  to  him  stale  and  uninteresting, 
and  afterwards  causes  of  angry  irritation.     The  places  where  he  has  been 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  J'J 

accustomed  to  feel  perplexity  of  thought  cannot  be  seen  without  in  some 
measure  reviving  it.  It  can  seldom  be  expected  that  in  a  private  family 
individuals  are  to  be  found  qualified  for  so  difficult  a  charge  as  the  care 
of  a  maniac.  The  most  favorable  situation  is  a  retirement,  vi^here  the 
patient  will  be  surrounded  by  objects  which  have  a  composing  influence. 
For  some  time  after  he  is  apparently  well  he  should  be  kept  at  a  distance 
from  his  friends.  His  importunities  and  those  of  his  connections  for  a 
premature  restoration  to  his  family  ought  to  be  firmly  resisted  till  his 
recovery  is  well  established." 

One  of  the  most  striking  effects  of  the  approach  of  insanity  is  the  dis- 
gust which  the  patient  conceives  against  his  own  family ;  while  a  gradual 
return  to  former  habits  and  attachments  is  one  of  the  surest  marks  of 
returning  reason.  Dr.  Rush,  of  Philadelphia,  eminent  both  as  a  physician 
and  an  author,  mentions  "  a  young  lady  who  had  been  for  some  time  con- 
fined in  a  lunatic  asylum,  and  had  shown  for  several  weeks  every  mark  of 
a  sound  mind,  except  one — she  hated  her  father.  At  length  she  one  day 
acknowledged  with  pleasure  the  return  of  her  filial  attachment,  and  was 
soon  after  discharged  entirely  recovered." 

A  circumstance  occurred  in  the  Manchester  Asylum  which  forcibly  illus- 
trates this  principle.  "  A  maniac  was  visited  by  his  wife  and  two  children, 
one  of  whom  gave  him  an  apple;  this  circumstance  awakened  his  sensi- 
bility and  made  him  melt  into  tears.  The  scene  was  observed  by  the  worst 
patient  in  the  house,  a  woman,  whom  the  mere  sight  of  her  attendants 
rendered  furious,  who  loudly  accused  every  person  who  came  near  her  of 
the  most  shocking  crimes ;  denounced  every  sort  of  threatening  against 
them,  and  went  over  their  features  and  dress  in  order  to  turn  every  part 
of  them  into  the  most  poignant  ridicule ;  and  all  this  with  a  rapidity  which 
no  interposition  of  others  could  interrupt.  Her  ferocity  was  immediately 
subdued,  and  she  wept  along  with  that  unfortunate  parent,  recollecting,  no 
doubt,  the  children  whom  she  herself  left  at  home.  From  that  day  she 
made  speedy  advances  to  a  state  of  perfect  composure,  and  in  a  few  weeks 
was  dismissed  cured.  It  was  fortunate  that  she  had  not,  in  the  first  in- 
stance, seen  any  of  her  own  children.  In  that  case,  the  association  of 
ideas  might  have  recalled  to  her  mind  those  feelings  of  passionate  irrita- 
tion with  which  she  was  affected  in  the  beginning  of  the  disease ;  whereas 
the  feelings  of  maternal  affection,  being  excited  free  from  such  associa- 
tions, had  time  to  acquire  greater  influence,  till  they  became  sufficiently 
powerful  to  fortify  her  against  those  passions  by  which  they  had  been 
supplanted." 

The  importance  of  asylums  for  the  reception  of  the  insane  being  thus 
fully  established,  we  have  now  to  show  the  success  which  has  attended  the 
treatment  of  them,  particularly  when  the  patients  have  been  sent  to  them 
in  an  early  stage  of  the  disease.  And  here  the  long  series  of  reports  of 
the  Glasgow  Royal  Asylum,  extending  as  they  do  over  a  period  of  20 
years,  will  be  found  invaluable.  Upon  a  careful  examination  of  them  it 
appears  that  in  the  20  years  from  1814  to  1834, 


78  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

The  number  of  patients  admitted  was 1621 

The  number  of  patients  re-admitted  after  relapse,  being  3 
per  cent 51 

Total 1672 

The  number  of  patients  dismissed  was — 

Cured   716 

Relieved 415 

By  desire  of  friends 182 

Unfit   38 

Who  died   181 

1532 

Remaining  in  the  asylum,  ist  January,  1834 140 

To  show  the  probability  of  a  cure,  if  the  disease  be  properly  treated  in 
its  early  stage,  it  will  be  proper  to  divide  the  cases  treated  into  old  cases 
and  recent  cases. 

Of  the  above  1672  cases,  1641  were  treated  with  the  following  result  of 
cures : 

552  old  cases,  with  75  cures,  about  13^  per  cent. 
1089  recent  cases,  with  555  cures,  about  51  per  cent. 
At  Worcester,  the  proportion  is  this,  for  1834: 
60  old  cases,  with  9  cures,  about  15  per  cent. 
52  recent  cases,  with  42  cures,  about  823^  per  cent. 
At  the  McLean  Asylum : 

20  old  cases,  with  3  cures,  about  15  per  cent. 
39  recent  cases,  with  32  cures,  about  82  per  cent. 
In  the  fifteenth  Glasgow  report  there  is  a  table  which  shows  that  in  the 
three  previous  years  95  patients  had  been  discharged  cured,  the  duration  of 
their  diseases  being  as  follows : 

Under  3  months 17 

"      6       "       30 

"      9       "       17 

"12       "       19 


IS  5 

18  "  2 

21  "  3 

24  "  2 


83  in  the  first  year 
of  the  disease. 


12  in  the  second. 


95 

And  in  the  seventh  report  it  is  stated,  that  of  13  patients  admitted  within 
two  weeks  of  their  becoming  respectively  insane,  all  were  dismissed  cured 
within  three  months. 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  79 

It  will  not  be  uninteresting  if  we  insert  a  table  compiled  from  the  returns 
from  1821  to  1834,  a  period  of  13  years,  of  the  number  of  deaths  and  the 
diseases  by  which  the  deaths  were  respectively  occasioned. 

Apoplexy  58 

Exhaustion   33 

Consumption    24 

Dropsy  6 

Fever    5 

Diarrhoea 4 

Typhus 4 

Erysipelas   3 

Abscess    3 

Diseased  intestine 

Diseased  uterus  

Uterine  haemorrhage  

Inflammation  of  lungs 

Water  in  the  chest 

Suffocation  

146 

While  we  regard  with  satisfaction  the  great  success  which  attends  the 
judicious  treatment  of  the  insane,  it  is  a  most  pleasing  consideration  that 
the  treatment  which  they  meet  with  in  asylums  of  reputation,  salutary  as  it 
is,  and  conducive  to  their  recovery,  is  of  so  mild  and  agreeable  a  character 
that  the  patients  can  and  actually  do  look  back  upon  it  with  pleasure  and 
satisfaction.  The  severe  discipline  of  former  times  has  given  place  to  a 
system  whose  chief  characteristics  are  kindness  and  mildness.  As  Dr.  Lee 
observes,  "  we  have  no  machinery ;  we  neither  drown  nor  torture  them  into 
reason;  we  meet  them  as  friends  and  brothers,  cultivate  their  affections, 
interest  their  feelings,  rouse  their  attention,  and  excite  their  hopes  "  (see 
Appendix),  and  the  result  of  such  treatment  is  what  might  be  expected. 
"  Patients,"  says  the  twentieth  Glasgow  report,  "  who  have  been  long  in 
the  house  have  become  so  attached  to  it,  and  so  sensible  of  the  kind  treat- 
ment which  they  have  experienced  in  it.  that  they  have  actually  refused  to 
leave  it  when  their  removal  was  proposed  to  them.  Everything  is  done  to 
promote  the  general  comfort,  and  the  great  quietness  of  our  asylum,  so 
often  remarked  by  visitors,  is  in  no  small  measure  the  consequence  of  that 
degree  of  personal  liberty  which  our  patients  enjoy,  and  to  the  tenderness 
observed  in  the  nature  and  use  of  the  means  of  restraint  when  such  means 
are  indispensable."  "  Patients  (fourth  report),  instead  of  reflecting  on  the 
asylum  as  a  prison,  in  which  penance  must  be  undergone  and  punishment 
suffered,  look  to  it  as  a  place  of  refuge,  to  which  they  flee  of  their  own 
accord  whenever  they  begin  to  feel  themselves  in  danger." 

Of  this  some  very  striking  instances  are  recorded.  A  woman  returns 
and  avoids  a  threatened  attack.  A  man  finding  his  head  very  much  dis- 
turbed hurried  up  to  the  asylum,  requesting  immediate  admission.     He 


8o  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE    OF   THE   INSANE 

soon  became  very  outrageous,  but  the  disease  having  been  checked  in  the 
very  commencement,  its  violence  soon  subsided,  and  he  was  quickly  restored 
to  his  family.  A  woman  liable  to  attacks  from  three  to  six  times  a  year 
remains  at  her  own  desire,  preferring  the  asylum  as  her  permanent  abode ; 
and  is  of  the  greatest  use,  by  counselling,  assisting  and  soothing  other  pa- 
tients, over  whom  she  has  great  influence.  Another  woman,  experiencing 
some  of  the  precursory  symptoms  of  lunacy,  privately  left  her  friends,  and 
walked  back  to  the  asylum,  a  distance  of  many  miles.  A  young  man,  also 
feeling  the  well-known  precursory  symptoms  of  the  malady,  travelled  on 
foot  a  journey  of  40  miles,  back  to  the  asylum,  bringing  money  to  pay  for 
his  board  in  his  pocket.  Another,  who  was  dismissed  relieved,  but  not 
cured,  makes  the  road  to  the  asylum  his  daily  walk. 

Indeed,  so  comfortable  is  the  general  condition  of  the  patients  that,  while 
some  are  impatient  to  leave  the  asylum,  others  express  the  strongest  aver- 
sion to  leave  it  at  all.  "  The  occupations  and  amusements  which  they  find 
there  are  decidedly  preferred  to  the  cares  and  concerns  of  their  own 
families,  a  predilection  of  a  very  dangerous  nature,  requiring  strict  atten- 
tion and  very  careful  management."  Some  curious  instances  of  this  evil 
are  to  be  found  in  the  different  reports,  and  some  more  curious  still  of 
persons,  both  male  and  female,  counterfeiting  lunacy  in  order  to  gain  ad- 
mittance to  the  comfort  of  the  asylum. 

This,  our  report,  with  its  appendix,  we  humbly  submit  to  Your  Excel- 
lency. 

Dated  this  2d  day  of  December,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1836. 

Charles   Simonds, 
John  Robertson, 
W.  H.  Street, 
Thos.  Barlow, 
Thos.  Paddock, 
Frederick    Coster, 

Commis^oners. 

APPENDED  LETTERS. 

Letter  of  the  Commissioners  to  William  Crane  and  L.  Allan  Wilmot, 

Esquires. 
Saint  John,  New  Brunswick,  May  2,  1836. 
Gentlemen  :  Having  been  appointed  by  His  Excellency  the  Lieutenant- 
Governor,  in  compliance  with  the  wishes  of  the  House  of  Assembly  ex- 
pressed in  their  address  of  February  11,  commissioners  to  "ascertain  the 
most  eligible  site,  near  the  City  of  Saint  John,  for  a  provincial  lunatic 
asylum,  together  with  a  plan  of  the  same,  and  an  estimate  of  the  probable 
cost  of  land,  and  the  erection  of  such  buildings,  etc.,  as  may  be  required 
for  the  same ;  and  also  any  information  they  may  be  able  to  obtain  relative 
to  the  management  of  similar  institutions,"  we  take  the  liberty  of  request- 
ing the  favor  of  your  assistance,  during  your  approaching  visit  to  England, 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  8l 

in  the  business  of  the  delegation  from  the  House  of  Assembly,  in  procur- 
ing for  us  such  information  relative  to  the  management  of  insane  persons 
and  the  places  provided  for  their  reception  as  will  enable  us  to  make  a 
satisfactory  report  to  the  Lieutenant-Governor  for  the  information  of  the 
Legislature. 

At  present  we  possess  but  a  very  scanty  portion  of  information,  but 
from  it,  such  as  it  is,  we  are  led  to  infer  that  important  improvements 
have  of  late  been  introduced  into  the  moral  treatment  of  the  insane  in 
the  almost  total  disuse  of  the  severe  discipline  which  used  formerly  to  be 
practised ;  in  the  separation  of  the  different  classes  of  patients,  so  that  the 
mild  and  peaceful  among  them  may  not  be  harassed  by  the  ravings  of  the 
ungovernable ;  in  providing  for  them  separate  sleeping  apartments ;  in 
affording  to  all  sorts  of  persons  accommodations  and  attendance  suitable 
to  their  rank  in  society,  and  such  as  they  may  have  been  accustomed  to, 
and  may  again  enjoy,  should  it  please  God  to  restore  them  to  their  reason; 
in  the  introduction  of  systematic  occupation  and  amusement,  both  bodily 
and  mental ;  and  in  providing  for  them  religious  instruction  and  the  regu- 
lar performance  of  divine  service.  We  will  thank  you  to  procure  for  us 
such  published  works  treating  upon  these  subjects  as  will  enable  us  to 
describe  them  in  our  report,  supporting  our  description  by  such  evidence 
as  will  be  required  by  and  prove  satisfactory  to  the  Legislature.  It  appears 
to  us  that  the  report  of  the  committees  of  both  houses  of  Parliament  might 
be  useful,  particularly  the  reports  of  the  committees  of  the  House  of 
Commons  for  considering  the  regulation  of  mad  houses.  The  last  two  or 
three  acts  of  Parliament  on  this  subject,  as  39  and  40  Geo.  IH  C.  94;  43 
Geo.  HI  C.  75;  i  and  2  Geo.  IV  C.  114;  9  Geo.  IV  C.  40,  41,  may  be  of 
assistance  in  drafting  the  bills  which  it  will  be  necessary  to  submit  to  the 
Legislature. 

We  also  wish  for  information  as  to  the  best  and  most  effectual  means 
of  making  provision  for  carrying  into  effect  these  improvements  in  the 
usual  treatment  of  the  insane,  both  as  it  respects  the  plan  and  construction 
of  the  buildings  to  be  erected,  and  otherwise,  bearing  in  mind  that  the 
proposed  institution  must  be  both  a  hospital  for  the  curable  insane  as  well 
as  an  asylum  for  lunatics.  What  means  of  restraint  and  enforcing  dis- 
cipline are  made  use  of ;  by  what  means  and  in  what  manner  the  classifica- 
tion and  separation  of  the  patients  are  accomplished ;  what  sort  of  accom- 
modation is  provided  for  them  by  night,  as  well  as  by  day ;  in  what  man- 
ner accommodation  is  provided  for  the  different  classes  of  patients,  suit- 
able to  their  rank  in  society;  what  bodily  occupations  are  provided  for 
them ;  what  means  of  giving  them  healthful  exercise,  both  indoors  and 
without ;  what  bodily  amusements ;  what  mental  occupations ;  what  mental 
amusements.  Dr.  Abercrombie  speaks  of  "  a  course  of  history,  the  leading 
events  being  distinctly  written  out,  in  the  form  of  a  table,  with  the  dates  " ; 
if  any  works  of  this  description  have  been  prepared  so,  or  otherwise,  for 
their  amusement  and  instruction,  what  these  works  are ;  and  what  pro- 
vision is  made  for  securing  for  them  religious  instruction  and  consolation, 
and  the  regular  and  proper  performance  of  divine  worship.  It  has  ap- 
7 


82  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

peared  to  us  that  a  description  (and  perhaps  a  plan)  of  some  one  or  more 
of  the  county  lunatic  asylums  erected  under  the  provisions  of  the  Act  of  9 
Geo.  IV  might  be  useful  to  us,  together  with  the  returns  from  Bethlem 
Hospital  (the  return  from  this  hospital  in  1831  or  1832  gave  TJ  out  of  220, 
exactly  one-third,  as  being  under  religious  instruction),  also  the  reports 
of  the  Middlesex  County  Asylum  at  Hanwell,  those  of  the  Glasgow  Luna- 
tic Asylum,  and  other  similar  establishments. 

We  have  come  to  the  conclusion,  considering  the  number  of  insane  per- 
sons at  present  in  the  province,  which  we  believe  amounts  to  near  50,  that 
it  will  be  necessary  to  erect  a  building  adequate  to  the  reception  and  proper 
accommodation  of  about  80.  We  wish  to  be  informed  what  number  and 
description  of  officers  and  assistants  such  an  establishment  would  require; 
and,  also,  what  would  be  considered  the  best  means  of  warming  the  various 
apartments  which  may  at  once  be  safe  to  the  patients  and  the  building  and 
suited  to  the  severity  of  our  climate. 

Upon  all  these  points,  and  upon  any  others  connected  with  the  subject, 
which,  from  our  imperfect  acquaintance  with  it  may  not  have  occurred  to 
us,  but  may  in  the  course  of  your  enquiries  suggest  themselves  to  you,  we 
shall  be  greatly  obHged  if  you  will  procure  for  us  as  much  useful  informa- 
tion as  may  be  accessible  to  you. 
We  have  the  honor  to  be,  gentlemen, 

Your  obedient  servants, 

(Signed)     Charles  Simonds, 
William  H.  Street, 
John  Robertson, 
Thomas  Paddock, 
Thomas  Barlow, 
Frederick  Coster, 

Commissioners. 
To  William  Crane  and  L.  Allan  Wilmot,  Esquires, 

Delegates  from  the  House  of  Assembly. 

NO.  2. 

Letter  from  Dr.  Thomas  G.  Lee,  Superintendent  of  the  McLean 
Asylum,  Charlestown,  to  the  Reverend  Lewis  Dwight,  Boston, 
Secretary  of  the  Prison  Discipline  Society. 

McLean  Asylum,  June  28,  1836. 
Dear  Sir  :  I  this  morning  received  your  note,  requesting  me  to  state 
my  views  of  what  should  be  sought  in  the  location  of  an  insane  asylum. 
I  improve  the  first  leisure  to  give  you  an  answer.  There  are  objects  to  be 
sought  for  in  connection  with  an  asylum  for  the  insane  which  I  consider 
of  the  greatest  importance,  and  as  they  should  influence  the  location,  I 
will  trouble  you  with  my  views  upon  these  matters  before  I  enter  upon 
that  subject.  Almost  every  writer  upon  the  treatment  of  the  insane  has 
spoken  of  the  advantage  of  occupation  and  labor  as  contributing  to  their 
recovery,  and  yet  the  institutions  in  this  country  are  very  deficient  in  the 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  83 

means  for  affording  it.  The  three  public  institutions  in  New  England  have 
not  20  acres  of  land  attached  to  each  establishment ;  no  one  ought  to  have 
less  than  100  acres,  and  even  that  number  would  be  too  small  should  there 
be  150  or  200  patients.  Pasture,  meadow  and  tillage  land  should  be  had 
in  abundance;  the  farm  should  be  well  stocked  with  cattle.  Sheep  and 
swine  raised  for  the  use  of  the  institution  should  be  fed  from  the  produce 
of  the  farm ;  corn,  potatoes,  grain,  flax,  all  kinds  of  garden  sauce,  etc., 
should  be  raised  by  the  labor  of  the  patients.  This  is  not  all ;  there  should 
be  dairy  rooms,  workshops  and  store-houses,  all  arranged  for  the  particu- 
lar object  of  employing  them;  they  should  be  engaged  (in  times  and  sea- 
sons for  the  several  labors)  in  cutting,  making  and  loading  hay;  planting, 
sowing,  cultivating  and  getting  in  garden  and  field  crops,  collecting  and 
storing  away  fruit,  shelling  corn,  dressing  flax,  tending  stock,  milking 
cows,  making  butter  and  cheese,  knitting,  sewing,  etc. ;  in  fine,  all  the  labors 
of  a  large  farming  establishment,  besides  various  mechanical  labors.  I 
confidently  anticipate  the  time  when  all  these  things  will  be  performed  in 
our  insane  asylums,  and  when  arrangements  made  for  such  labor  will  be 
considered  as  indispensable  as  the  strong  rooms  have  been  for  the  refrac- 
tory in  times  past — this  is  not  mere  speculation.  In  the  institution  over 
which  I  have  the  honor  to  preside  we  have  within  the  last  eight  months 
illustrated  in  our  experience  not  only  the  practicability,  but  the  great 
utility,  of  labor.  Our  farming,  gardening,  and  the  sawing,  splitting  and 
piling  of  all  the  wood,  besides  mechanical  labors,  have  been  done  by  the 
patients  with  the  assistance  of  the  attendants,  and  our  only  difficulty  has 
been  that  we  have  not  been  able  to  find  enough  for  them  to  do.  The 
females  have  also  been  engaged  in  domestic  labors.  Useful  labor  is  always 
the  best  employment ;  but  there  are  some  who  will  not  be  thus  engaged ; 
these  must  be  occupied,  and  those  that  do  work  should  have  relaxation, 
and  besides  the  various  amusements  and  diversions  which  can  be  enjoyed 
within  doors  and  in  the  yards,  they  should  be  taken  to  ride  and  walk  into 
the  country,  sent  out  on  fishing  excursions,  skating,  etc.  The  occupation 
should  be  as  constant  and  varied  as  possible,  and  the  time  will  come  when 
to  allow  a  man  to  indulge  his  reveries  in  idleness  until  he  has  sunk  into  a 
state  of  confirmed  insanity  will  be  considered,  as  it  deserves  to  be,  a  gross 
and  cruel  neglect  of  duty.  The  order  of  the  day  is  onward.  Our  old 
institutions  must  and  will  provide  the  means  for  facilitating  the  employ- 
ment of  these  patients,  and  if  with  all  the  light  and  knowledge  which  can 
now  be  obtained  our  legislatures  and  other  bodies  of  men  engaged  in  estab- 
lishing new  institutions  neglect  to  provide  these  facilities  for  restoring 
the  insane,  they  will  inflict  a  sore  evil  upon  humanity  and  deserve  the 
severe  reprehension  of  the  public.  The  State  of  New  York,  with  all  its 
vast  resources,  ought  to  set  the  example,  and  I  hope,  if  you  visit  the  Legis- 
lature as  you  propose,  you  will  urge  it  by  every  motive  which  can  appeal 
to  their  humanity  and  also  to  their  ambition.  Let  them  establish  an  insti- 
tution with  these  advantages,  and  it  will  be  the  pride  of  their  state  and 
the  boast  of  their  philanthropy. 


84  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

In  the  location  of  an  insane  hospital,  as  a  first  consideration,  I  should 
have  in  view  the  accomplishment  of  these  objects :  It  should  not  be  too 
near  a  large  city,  nor  within  half  a  mile  of  any  street  which  is  or  will 
likely  become  a  populous  part  of  the  town.  The  farm  should  be  so  situ- 
ated that  an  observer  at  the  hospital  can  see  every  part  of  it,  that  any  diffi- 
culties among  those  at  work  or  engaged  in  sports  may  be  seen  and  prompt 
assistance  afforded.  The  location  should  be  so  elevated  as  to  command  a 
full  view  of  the  surrounding  country.  It  should  be  in  a  region  where 
the  scenery  is  varied  and  delightful,  a  navigable  river  bearing  upon  its 
basin  the  varieties  of  water  craft;  public  roads  thronged  with  the  evi- 
dences of  life  and  business,  but  not  so  near  as  to  be  exciting;  a  populated 
and  cultivated  country  should  be  all  in  view.  These  objects  will  afford 
diversion  and  interest,  excite  conversation,  and  give  constant  proofs  that 
they  are  in  a  world  of  hope  and  among  beings  who  are  engaged  in  the 
every-day  affairs  of  life.  The  grounds  should  be  ornamented,  and  every- 
thing about  the  establishment  should  give  evidence  of  care  and  comfort. 
The  buildings  should  be  in  parallel  lines  and  as  nearly  in  a  right  line  as 
they  can  be  and  secure  proper  ventilation.  The  plan  of  the  buildings  at 
Worcester  is  the  best  I  know  of.  If  each  block  appropriated  to  the  pa- 
tients had  been  only  two-thirds  of  its  present  length  the  advantages  of 
sub-division  and  classification  would  have  been  much  greater.  These  are 
objects  of  great  importance.  The  objection  to  having  the  buildings  situ- 
ated diagonally,  or  at  right  angles  with  each  other,  are  that  sounds  will 
thus  be  communicated  from  one  building  to  another,  patients  see  each 
other  from  opposite  windows,  overlook  each  other's  yards  or  courts,  and 
make  signals  from  one  to  another.  A  gallery  should  have  its  separate 
courts.  In  adopting  the  plan  and  locating  the  building  regard  should  be 
had  to  its  extension  from  time  to  time  as  the  wants  of  the  public  may 
require.    The  following  plan  will  illustrate  my  views : 

I  should  prefer  to  have  the  ward  buildings  only  two  stories  high.  The 
workshops  and  lodges  should  be  only  one  story,  and  lighted  only  on  the 
sides  facing  away  from  the  institution ;  they  should  be  easy  of  access,  and 
the  plan  in  the  drawing  is  the  best  which  suggests  itself  to  my  mind.  The 
communication  between  No.  3  and  the  lodges  should  be  by  covered  ways, 
as  patients  conveyed  there  are  in  a  state  of  excitement,  and  their  exposure 
should  be  avoided.  I  would  have  the  rooms  in  ward  building  No.  i  largest 
and  best  furnished,  and  appropriated  to  the  best  class  of  patients  in  the 
quiet  and  convalescent  state.  No.  2  should  be  better  than  No.  3,  and  so 
on.  In  No.  2  should  be  the  offices  of  supervisor  and  the  receiving  rooms 
for  new  patients ;  here  they  should  be  seen  by  the  physician  and  then 
located  according  to  their  state.  To  have  patients  received  in  the  central 
building  is  a  great  annoyance,  not  only  to  the  family,  but  to  those  con- 
valescent patients  who  are  permitted  to  be  in  the  family  of  the  superinten- 
dent. The  receiving  rooms  for  visitors  should  be  in  the  center  building; 
here  are  the  offices  of  the  physician  and  steward,  the  family  residence, 
kitchen,  etc.,  and  there  should  be  a  large  room  for  family  worship  and  for 
religious  service  on  the  Sabbath,  and  for  such  other  occasions  as  may  be 


NEW   BRUNSWICK  85 

required.  There  should  be  no  direct  communication  with  the  kitchen  by 
the  attendants  and  nurses ;  but  it  should  be  by  porters,  one  for  each  wing, 
who  should  attend  to  all  signals,  which  might  be  given  by  a  bell. 

If  each  gallery  accommodated  but  10  patients  there  would  be  only  20 
to  a  building;  the  lodges  would  each  contain  8;  in  all  138.  If  it  was  found 
difficult  to  get  an  appropriation  to  erect  a  sufficient  number  of  buildings 
only  two  stories  high,  I  would  yield  to  that  point ;  the  same  number  of 
blocks  would  then  accommodate  196 ;  but  I  would  insist  upon  having  the 
number  in  each  gallery  limited  to  10,  as  necessary  to  the  comfort  and 
welfare  of  all  concerned. 

The  enclosure  should  be  surrounded  by  a  fence  to  keep  company  out, 
not  to  keep  patients  in — this  must  be  done  by  the  vigilance  of  the  nurses 
and  attendants.  A  high  wall  would  give  it  a  prison-like  appearance,  and 
would  not  answer  the  purpose  of  security.  The  road  in  front  should  not 
pass  within  60  rods  of  the  building,  and  the  intermediate  area  should  be 
ornamented  with  trees,  shrubs,  flowers,  walks,  etc.,  and  on  the  sides  and 
rear  of  the  buildings  should  be  gardens  and  farm ;  the  whole  should  be 
secured,  to  be  held  sacred  to  the  institution  and  its  objects  forever. 

In  the  erection  of  buildings  there  are  many  things  of  high  importance 
to  be  secured;  your  inquiry  did  not  extend  to  these,  but  as  I  know  you 
will  be  pleased  with  any  facts  which  relate  to  the  comfort  of  the  inmates, 
I  will  enumerate  some  of  them.  Each  room  and  gallery  should  be  well 
ventilated  by  flues  passing  upwards  and  opening  under  the  roof  and  then 
into  the  air.  Each  story  should  have  a  sick  room,  wash  and  bathing 
rooms,  a  water  closet  and  a  laundry,  where  the  vessels  can  be  emptied, 
lamps  cleaned,  mops,  pails,  cleaning  brushes,  etc.,  kept;  a  day  and  dining 
room.  In  the  basements  under  the  latter  should  be  the  porters'  lodge 
with  a  sliding  closet  or  dumb  waiter,  by  which  food  may  be  raised  to  the 
stories  above.  The  communication  with  the  house  and  kitchen  should  here 
be  made  by  means  of  the  porters.  A  communication  from,  the  center 
to  all  the  other  buildings  is  absolutely  indispensable;  there  should 
be  a  well-lighted  passway  in  the  basement  communicating  with  the 
porters'  lodge,  and  with  the  stairways  the  galleries  should  communicate. 
The  rooms  in  ward  building  No.  i  should  not  be  less  than  12  feet  deep 
by  9  feet  wide.  The  rooms  in  Nos.  2  and  3  should  not  be  less  than  10 
feet  deep  by  8  feet  wide.  The  hall  should  be  at  least  12  feet  broad,  extend- 
ing through  the  building  and  lighted  at  both  ends  by  a  large  window. 
In  the  partition  there  should  be  an  unglazed  cast-iron  sash,  painted  and 
made  to  correspond  in  size  and  appearance  with  the  window.  A  door 
should  open  from  the  passways  into  the  attendants'  room,  and  if  the 
passways  be  only  3  or  4  feet  wide  there  will  be  space  for  another  door, 
so  that  the  room  may  be  entered  immediately  from  the  hall.  The  rooms 
immediately  adjoining  should  be  appropriated  to  the  sick  and  suicidal; 
it  should  have  no  entrance  immediately  from  the  hall,  but  be  entered  by  a 
door  from  the  attendants'  room,  a  window  with  a  fixed  iron  sash,  and  a 
movable  glazed  sash,  which  can  be  raised  into  the  vaulted  ceiling,  might 
also  be  placed  between  the  two  rooms  for  the  advantage  of  looking  in 


86  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE    OF   THE   INSANE 

upon  the  sufferer  without  always  opening  the  door,  in  cases  when  con- 
stant attention  is  not  required. 

There  are  many  details  which  can  but  be  communicated  in  conver- 
sation. If  anything  that  I  have  written  requires  explanation  I  shall  be 
most  happy  to  give  it,  or  any  assistance  in  behalf  of  these  institutions 
and  in  the  diffusion  of  correct  ideas  relating  to  their  management.  The 
day  has  gone  by  for  mystery  in  relation  to  the  treatment  of  the  insane; 
we  have  no  machinery ;  we  neither  drown  nor  torture  them  into  reason ; 
we  meet  them  as  friends  and  brothers ;  we  cultivate  their  affections, 
interest  their  feelings,  rouse  their  attention,  and  excite  their  hopes ;  we 
cheer  the  desponding,  soothe  the  irritated,  and  repress  the  gay  as  far 
as  possible.  We  occupy  all  in  doing  this ;  we  consult  their  tastes  and 
feelings,  their  former  habits  and  pursuits ;  games  of  all  kinds,  chess, 
checkers,  backgammon,  cards,  ninepins,  quoits,  battledore,  graces,  read- 
ing, writing,  walks,  rides  and  field  sports  are  some  of  their  occupations. 
We  invite  the  quiet  and  convalescent  into  our  family,  seat  them  at  our 
table  and  give  weekly  parties  for  their  amusement  and  benefit.  On  such 
occasions  we  engage  and  participate  with  them  in  marching  and  dancing; 
we  assemble  them  every  evening  for  family  worship,  which  consists  in 
reading  a  chapter  from  the  Bible  and  singing  two  hymns,  and  a  prayer. 
We  take  them  with  us  to  church  and  we  have  religious  service  performed 
by  a  clergyman  once  a  fortnight  in  our  house,  which  they  attend.  You 
can  testify  to  the  order  and  attention  which  characterize  these  meetings, 
and  I  can  testify  to  their  salutary  influence ;  they  carry  the  mind  back 
to  the  memory  of  other  and  better  days,  and  they  cause  them  to  recollect 
the  infinite  goodness  and  all-wise  providence  of  God.  Our  medical  treat- 
ment is  also  founded  upon  principles  which  equally  appeal  to  the  philan- 
thropical  and  common-sense  notions  of  every  intelligent  man. 

I  thank  you  for  the  interest  you  h^-ve  manifested  in  our  institution. 
Visit  us  whenever  you  please;  we  shall  always  be  happy  to  see  you,  and 
take  you  over  our  establishment,  show  you  our  arrangements,  and  make 
you  acquainted  with  the  practical  operation  of  the  system  I  have  been 
describing. 

With    much   respect, 

I  am  yours,  etc., 

Thomas   G.   Lejs. 
Rev.  Lewis  Dwight,  Boston. 

NO.  3. 

Letter  from  Dr.  H.  A.  Galbraith,  Superintendent  of  the  Glasgow 

Royal  Lunatic  Asylum,  to  William  Henry  Dobie,  Esquire,  Glasgow. 

Glasgow  Royal  Lunatic  Asylum,  loth  Sept.,  1836. 

Dear  Sir:    In  answer  to  the  questions  handed  by  you  to  me,   I  beg 

leave  to  state  that  the  whole  extent  of  ground  presently  belonging  to  the 

asylum  is  about  nine  imperial  acres,  of  which  one-half  is  occupied  by  the 

buildings  and  airing  yards  and  the  other  as  a  fruit  and  vegetable  garden. 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  87 

There  are  three  airing  yards  for  males,  that  for  the  lower  class  being 
laid  out  with  fine  gravel  and  having  a  covered  walk  150  feet  long  by  10 
feet  broad  to  protect  the  patients  from  sun  and  shower.  The  other  two 
for  the  upper  classes  (one  of  which  contains  what  was  originally  intended 
for  two  and  having  a  bowling  green)  are  laid  down  in  grass,  and  inter- 
sected with  gravelled  walks  and  borders  for  shrubs  and  flowers.  For 
females  there  are  also  three  airing  yards,  corresponding  to  those  of  the 
males,  with  the  exception  of  a  washing,  in  place  of  a  bowling  green. 

The  garden,  which  affords  much  employment  for  our  working  patients, 
as  well  as  exercise  and  recreation  to  others,  is  also  intersected  in  all 
directions  with  gravelled  walks  and  flower  borders,  and  the  whole  is 
surrounded  as  well  as  subdivided  by  strong  stone  walls,  upwards  of  12 
feet  high. 

The  building,  which  stands  nearly  in  the  center  of  the  airing  grounds, 
consists  of  three  principal  floors,  sunk  floor  and  central  attics,  and  contains 
as  follows : 

Single  sleeping  rooms  for  male  and  female  patients.  . .  105 

Large  day  rooms  for  male  and  female  patients 12 

Airing  galleries,  75  feet  by  7^  feet,  for  male  and 
female  patients,  with  water  closet  and  water  pipe 

in   each    12 

Airing  galleries  for  frantics,  30  feet  by  7  feet 4 

Dormitories  for  convalescent,  quiet  and  cleanly  pa- 
tients of  the  lower  class,  with  30  beds  for  males 
and  26  beds  for  females,  and  clothes  drawer  to 
correspond  to  number  of  bed,  the  space  for  each 

being  10  feet  by  6  feet   2 

Matron's  rooms  on  ground  floor  3 

Committee  room,  office,  library  and  billiard  room.  ...  4 

Workers'  rooms  4 

Sleeping  rooms  in  attics  for  matron's  assistants  and 

unattached   servants    7 

Steward's  and  store  rooms  in  sunk  floor 7 

Kitchen,  scullery,  laundry,  etc 5 

Baths,  hot,  cold  and  shower  in  each 3 

Furnace  rooms  and  coal  stoves  4 

Chapel,  tool  room  and  joiners'  shop  3 

Visitors'  rooms  for  patients'  friends  3 

Total    178 

The  superintendent's  house  is  detached  from  the  other  buildings,  has  a 
garden,  and  consists  of  nine  apartments,  exclusive  of  water-closet,  cel- 
larage,  etc. 

The  number  of  patients  of  all  ranks  which  can  be  accommodated  is  164, 
and  there  is  at  present  in  the  establishment  163.  For  past  years  see  the 
annual  reports. 


88  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

The  average  expense  of  the  various  classes  of  patients,  exclusive  of 
management,  is  nearly  as  follows : 

1st  rate  of  board  per  week 4s.  2d. 

2d  rate  of  board  per  week 7s.  46. 

3d  rate  of  board  per  week 9s.  6d. 

4th  rate  of  board  per  week 12s.  3d. 

5th  rate  of  board  per  week 17s.  6d. 

6th  rate  of  board  per  week,  including  the  wages 

and  keep  of  a  private  servant  33s. 

For  salary  to  physician  and  superintendent,  who  is  also  resident  surgeon 
and  apothecary,  see  annual  reports.  The  office  of  surgeon  may  almost 
be  accounted  nominal,  as  it  is  only  in  extraordinary  cases  that  he  is  called, 
and  these  sometimes  not  occurring  in  12  months,  he  has  no  service  to 
perform  and  no  pay. 

The  keepers  and  other  domestics  of  the  establishment,  exclusive  of  the 
matron   and   her   assistants,    amount   to  25   in   number,   and  are   paid  as 

follows  :  Per  annum. 

£  S. 

House    steward    46  o 

First  male  keeper   36  o 

Three  male  keepers,  each  30  o 

Three  assistants  24  o 

First   female   keeper    18  o 

Three  female  keepers,  each  14  0 

Two  assistants    10  o 

Cow-keeper  and  fireman   24  o 

Gardener  and  joiner  50  0 

Cook,  £12  I2S. ;  assistant,  £6  6s  18  18 

Laundress  and  two  assistants 21  o 

Matron's  maid  and  scullery  maid 13  o 

All  the  above  have  bed,  board  and  washing  in  the  establishment,  with  the 
exception  of  the  gardener  and  joiner,  who  reside  with  their  families. 

On  the  subject  of  moral  treatment,  so  much  depends  upon  observation 
and  acquiring  a  competent  knowledge  of  the  particular  cases,  that  little 
beyond  the  mere  outlines  can  here  be  given,  and  even  these  in  a  moderate 
compass  but  feebly. 

The  general  plan,  however,  is,  so  far  as  possible,  to  divert  the  patient's 
mind  from  the  subject  or  subjects  of  hallucinations,  and  to  engage  him 
in  some  mental  exercises  or  amusements  at  stated  times,  and  particularly 
to  associate  him  with  others,  by  whom  his  attention  may  be  occupied,  that 
he  may  have  no  time  to  indulge  in  or  brood  over  his  own  illusions. 
Manual  labor  or  exercise  in  the  open  air  (particularly)  or  otherwise, 
according  to  the  rank  and  taste  of  the  patient,  and  light,  cheerful  conver- 
sation, with  kindness  and  attention  to  all  reasonable  requests,  and  great 
and  prudent  firmness  in  resisting  what  is  otherwise,  are  of  the  greatest 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  89 

consequence  in  treating  the  insane,  never  rudely  contradicting  or  even 
arguing  on  their  illusions,  but  gently  pointing  out  contradictions  when 
such  occur,  or  showing  by  an  occasional  well-timed  remark  that  their 
conclusions  are  not  supported  by  the  evidence  adduced ;  this  has  often 
a  beneficial  effect,  and  not  a  few  date  the  dawn  of  convalescence  from 
observing  the  extravagant  conduct  and  hallucinations  of  others  with 
whom  they  are  associated,  or  having  these  simply  pointed  out  to  them. 

Whilst  it  is  necessary  by  every  means  in  our  power  to  encourage  and 
stimulate  the  gentle,  the  timid,  the  lethargic  and  the  despondent,  it  is 
equally  so  calmly  but  firmly  to  repress  the  rude,  the  overbearing  and  the 
boisterous,  and  indeed  to  exhibit  to  all,  not  only  the  determination,  but 
the  power  to  protect  and  control  them  when  necessary. 

In  reference  to  the  accompanying  plan  of  the  building,  it  may  be 
remarked  that,  although  all  the  wings  are  of  equal  length,  yet  the  sleeping 
rooms  in  the  back  ones  are  more  numerous  but  smaller  than  in  front, 
the  average  size  being  respectively  12  feet  by  8'H  feet  in  front,  and  12  feet 
by  6^  feet  in  back,  and  attached  to  the  extremity  of  the  latter  are  the 
dormitories  formerly  noticed  with  the  sitting  apartments. 

Thus  I  have  endeavored  to  give  you  concise  but  comprehensive  answers 
to  the  various  questions  put  for  the  information  of  your  correspondents 
at  Saint  John. 

I  am,  with  regard, 

Your  most  obedient, 

(Signed)  H.  A.  Galbraith. 
To  William  Henry  Dobie,   Esq.,  Glasgow. 

NO.  4- 

Letter  From  Dr.  Peters,  Superintendent  of  the  Temporary  Lunatic 
Asylum  at  Saint  John,  to  the  Commissioners. 

Saint  John,  November  28,  1836. 

Gentlemen  :  I  have  had  the  honor  of  receiving  your  letter  requesting 
some  information  respecting  the  temporary  lunatic  asylum  in  this  city 
under  my  charge,  and  take  the  earliest  opportunity  of  replying  to  it  and 
furnishing  such  particulars  as  seem  to  be  called  for  by  the  nature  of 
your  enquiries. 

When  I  was  put  in  charge  of  the  poor  establishment  in  this  city  it  con- 
sisted of  the  almshouse,  gaol  and  workhouse,  with  the  outdoor  poor.  There 
was  no  separate  place  provided  for  the  safekeeping  of  the  pauper  lunatics. 
At  that  time,  as  they  still  are  in  other  counties  of  the  province,  they  were 
confined  in  the  gaol  under  the  warrant  of  a  magistrate  as  unsafe  to  be  at 
large;  and  there  I  found  several  unfortunate  men  confined  in  the  same 
room  with  the  felons  and  other  criminals,  some  of  them  perfectly  naked 
and  in  a  state  of  filth,  which,  though  under  the  circumstances  unavoid- 
able, was  yet  disgraceful  to  humanity. 


90  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

The  confining  convicts  and  lunatics  together  in  the  same  apartment  is  a 
practice  utterly  indefensible  except  on  the  ground  of  absolute  necessity. 
To  both  parties  it  is  cruel  and  unjust.  It  certainly  formed  no  part  of  the 
sentence  of  the  convicts  that  they  should  be  shut  up,  during  the  term  of 
their  imprisonment,  with  maniacs,  sometimes  furious  and  dangerous,  and 
at  all  times  offensive  from  filthy  habits,  which,  if  neglected,  they  are  sure 
to  acquire;  while  to  the  poor  unhappy  lunatics  nothing  can  well  be  con- 
ceived more  injurious  than  such  a  confinement  and  the  usage  which  they 
were  sure  to  meet  with. 

I  felt  it  my  duty  to  call  the  particular  attention  of  the  overseers  of  the 
poor  to  the  state  of  the  case,  and  the  lunatics  were  accordingly  removed 
from  the  gaol  and  placed  in  the  almshouse.  But  though  this  arrangement 
certainly  improved  the  condition  of  the  poor  lunatics,  the  occupation  of 
the  almshouse,  at  all  times  overcrowded  by  persons  of  that  description,  was 
found  exceedingly  inconvenient,  and  attended  with  very  unpleasant  con- 
sequences. To  obviate  these  inconveniences  it  was  determined  that  an 
application  should  be  made  to  the  Board  of  Health  for  leave  to  fit  up  and 
occupy  the  cholera  hospital  for  a  temporary  asylum.  Permission  having 
been  given,  the  lower  part  of  the  building  has  been  divided  into  two  sides, 
one  for  the  males  and  the  other  for  the  females.  For  the  purpose  of 
separating  as  much  as  possible  the  more  violent  from  those  who  appear 
inclined  to  conduct  themselves  in  a  moderate  way,  these  sides  have  been 
sub-divided;  the  male  side  into  a  day  room  (if  a  mere  passage  can  be  so 
called)  and  five  sleeping  rooms;  the  female  side  into  a  similar  day  room 
and  four  sleeping  rooms.  These  divisions  have  been  eflfected  by  mere 
temporary  partitions,  and,  though  greatly  superior  to  an3i:hing  which  these 
unfortunate  persons  have  ever  before  enjoyed,  the  place  is  altogether  in- 
sufficient either  for  their  comfortable  residence,  their  safekeeping  or  their 
proper  treatment. 

This  asylum  has  now  been  eight  months  in  operation,  and  22  patients 
have  been  admitted  into  it.  Of  these  9  have  been  discharged  cured,  i  has 
died  and  there  are  now  12  remaining.  Of  these  12,  6  are  idiots,  2  of  them 
reduced  to  that  state  by  the  frequent  recurrence  of  epileptic  fits ;  i  was 
bom  so,  and  the  other  3  have  been  in  that  state  for  some  years,  though 
without  any  assignable  cause,  so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  ascertain  from 
their  friends.  The  restoration  of  any  of  these  6  is,  I  think,  hopeless ;  but 
were  there  any  occupation  for  them,  their  services  might  be  turned  to 
very  good  account ;  so  far  as  mere  manual  labor  is  concerned,  they  would 
be  nearly  as  efficient  as  if  their  intellect  were  not  impaired,  and  their  health 
would  be  materially  improved.  Of  the  remaining  6,  3  will,  I  think, 
recover;  the  recovery  of  the  other  3  is,  to  all  appearances,  very  doubtful. 

Adopting  the  system  of  classification  in  practice  at  the  Glasgow  Royal 
Asylum  for  lunatics,  the  number  and  description  of  the  cases  admitted 
and  the  result  of  the  treatment  will  appear  as  follows : 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  9I 

State  of  those 
How  dismissed.  remaining. 

•  i  -o  oj    • 

>  c  £ 

Classification  of  cases  when  admitted.       "S  v         ^         *;  ~;         2'.SS15 

u  Ctf  cq  D  Q  J5  u5  f-i 

Maniacs  6  o  o  o  o  3  2  11 

Maniacs,  furious i  o  o  0  i  o  i  3 

Melancholies    2  o  o  o  o  o  o  2 

Melancholies,  irascible   o  o  o  o  0  o  o  o 

Imbecile o  o  o  o  o  i  4  5 

Fatuous  o  o  o  o  o  o  i  i 

Total    9        0       o       o        I        4       8      22 

Two  of  the  above  were  readmitted  after  a  relapse. 

Of  the  above  22,  7  were  old  cases  and  15  recent  cases,  with  the  following 
result  of  cures : 

7  old  cases  with       i  cure,  about  14^  per  cent. 
IS  recent  cases  with  8  cures,  about  53      per  cent. 

22  9 

Of  the  22,  5  are  natives  of  the  province  and  17  are  emigrants,  chiefly 
Irish.  All  of  them  are  paupers  except  i,  for  whose  board  five  shillings 
a  week  is  charged.  Eighteen  of  them  are  resident  in  the  city ;  3  in  that 
part  of  the  parish  of  Lancaster  which  borders  on  Carleton,  and  i  from 
South  Bay,  in  the  same  parish. 

With  regard  to  the  conduct  of  the  lunatics,  they  have  generally,  after 
a  short  residence  in  the  asylum,  been  tolerably  quiet;  but  some  of  them, 
from  the  want  of  proper  accommodations  and  constant  occupation,  have 
required  restraint,  and  one  of  them  is  so  troublesome  that  we  are  obliged 
to  keep  him  fastened  by  a  chain  attached  to  a  belt  round  his  waist.  It  is 
deeply  to  be  regretted  that  we  should  be  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  so 
unpleasant  a  mode  of  restraint,  but  the  man's  disposition  is  so  restless,  and 
from  want  of  employment  or  occupation  of  any  sort  he  is  so  exceedingly 
mischievous,  that  it  is  impossible  to  leave  him  at  large.  As  to  the  causes 
of  the  disease,  as  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  ascertain  them,  it  appears 
that  sudden  fright  has  been  the  most  frequent  cause  of  the  aberration  of 
mind  among  the  females.  The  falling  overboard  of  a  fellow  passenger 
produced  it  in  one  case,  and  other  accidents  of  a  like  alarming  nature 
were  followed  by  the  same  results  in  others.  And  among  the  males,  with 
the  exception  of  the  idiots,  the  affection  appears  to  have  originated  very 
generally  from  the  abuse  of  spirituous  liquors — a  fruitful  cause  of  in- 
sanity, which  will  be  very  likely  in  this  country  to  keep  a  lunatic  asylum 
well  filled  with  patients. 

By  the  establishment  of  this  asylum,  temporary  and  incomplete  as  it  is, 
I  am  happy  to  say  that  the  condition  and  treatment  of  the  unfortunate 


92  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

lunatics  have  been  very  materially  improved.  They  are  now  at  least  clean 
and  comfortable.  Of  course  we  labor  under  all  the  serious  difficulties  and 
inconveniences  which  are  everywhere  found  to  arise  from  want  of  space 
and  constant  employment  for  them — two  very  essential  things  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  insane.  Of  late  the  applications  for  admission  have  been 
increasing,  and  we  have  been  compelled  to  reject  several  from  persons 
who  could  and  would  have  paid  for  the  board  of  the  patients.  Indeed, 
there  is  every  reason  to  fear  that  the  asylum  will  be  overrun  by  the  pauper 
lunatics  of  the  city  before  the  provincial  institution  can  be  put  into 
operation. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  gentlemen, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

George  P.   Peters. 
To  the  Commissioners  of  the  Provincial  Lunatic  Asylum. 


APPENDIX  B. 

APPENDIX  NO.   II   OF  JOURNALS  OF  HOUSE  OF  ASSEMBLY. 
Report  upon  Lunatic  Asylum. 

Saint  John,  ist  Jan.,  1838. 

May  it  Please  Your  Excellency:  Agreeably  to  their  request  I,  last 
year,  had  the  honor  of  making  a  communication  to  the  commissioners 
appointed  to  ascertain  the  most  eligible  site,  near  the  City  of  St.  John, 
for  a  P.  L.  A.  With  regard  to  the  temporary  L.  A.  under  my  charge  in 
this  city,  and  the  establishment,  since  that  period,  having  received  liberal 
support  from  the  Legislature,  I  feel  myself  called  upon  to  make  this 
report  to  Your  Ex.,  for  the  purpose  of  showing  to  your  Ex.  and  the 
Legislature  the  immediate  advantage  to  the  unfortunate  lunatics  which 
even  this  temporary  institution  has  been,  and  the  indispensable  necessity 
which  exists  for  a  P.  A.  on  a  scale  sufficiently  large  to  accommodate  the 
number  of  lunatics  at  present  in  the  province,  and  on  a  plan  capable  of 
extension  so  as  to  meet  the  increasing  wants  of  the  colony. 

Before  the  establishment  of  this  temporary  asylum  the  poor  lunatics 
for  their  safekeeping  were  generally  confined  in  gaol  by  the  warrant  of 
two  magistrates  agreeably  to  a  law  of  the  province,  a  situation  of  all 
others  where  they  would  be  least  likely  to  recover,  and  where  from  neglect 
and  filth  they  really  became  objects  of  disgust  rather  than  of  compassion; 
but  since  this  institution  has  received  support  from  the  Legislature  the 
superintendent  has  wisely  thrown  open  the  asylum  for  the  reception  of 
lunatics  from  every  county  in  the  province,  and  the  gaols  are  now  no 
longer  prisons  for  lunatics,  and  a  practice  so  disgraceful  to  humanity 
I  am  happy  to  say  no  longer  exists.  The  law  itself,  however,  is  still  a  blot 
upon  the  statute  book. 

A  period  of  13  months  has  now  elapsed  since  I  made  my  report  to  the 
commissioners,  and  according  to  the  classification  which  I  then  adopted, 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  93 

the  number  and  description  of  the  cases,  and  the  result  of  the  treatment 
both  of  those  at  that  time  in  the  asylum  and  the  patients  since  admitted 
will  appear  by  the  following  table : 


Total  of 

State  of 

the  several 

How 

the  re- 

classifi- 

dismissed. 

maining 

cations. 

Classification  of  cases  when  admitted,  "o       Jk*:         -iS-r;" 


■-     •«     IC 


o.    a 


u  OS  eq  D  Q  w  uS 

Maniacs    14  i  i  o  i  3    4  24 

Maniacs,   furious    i  o  o  o  i  o    o  2 

Melancholies    o  o  0  o  i  o    0  i 

Melancholies,    irascible    ....good  000  o 

Imbecile    o  0  2  o  4  0    9  15 

Fatuous     o  0  o  o  o  o     i  i 

Total    15     I     3    o        7    3  14        43 

There  have  also  been  admitted  13  cases  of  delirium  tremens,  most  of 
them  being  outrageous  and  requiring  as  much  restraint  as  any  maniac; 
but  as  persons  affected  with  this  disease  are  not,  strictly  speaking,  insane, 
nor  generally  considered  proper  subjects  for  a  lunatic  asylum,  I  have  not 
included  them  in  the  above  table.  When  laboring  under  that  disease, 
however,  they  are  quite  unfit  to  be  at  large,  both  on  account  of  their 
own  and  others'  safety,  and  moreover  their  temporary  confinement  in  an 
asylum,  independently  of  affording  them  the  best  means  of  cure,  is  fre- 
quently of  essential  service  by  keeping  out  of  their  reach  the  stimulus 
which  has  been  the  cause  of  their  malady,  and  thus,  in  some  measure, 
breaking  a  habit  which,  if  continued  to  be  indulged  in,  must  inevitably 
end  in  the  destruction  of  the  individual. 

Two  or  three  have  also  been  sent  to  the  asylum  in  whom  the  delirium 
of  fever  has  been  mistaken  for  insanity,  and,  although  the  crowded 
state  of  the  asylum  would  have  led  us  to  refuse  their  being  admitted, 
humanity  compelled  us  to  allow  them  to  remain. 

Of  the  cases  which  I  have  included  in  the  above  table,  16  were  recent 
or  had  been  affected  within  six  months  previous  to  admission,  and  26  old 
cases,  consisting  of  such  as  had  been  affected  for  upwards  of  six  months 
previously,  and  the  result  of  the  cures  is  as  follows : 
26  old  cases,  with  3  cures. 
17  recent  cases,  with  12  cures. 

In  looking  at  the  above  result  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  this  asylum 
has  only  been  thrown  open  for  the  admission  of  patients  from  all  parts  of 
the  province  for  about  nine  months,  and  as  no  asylum  has  heretofore 
existed  in  the  province,  our  number  of  old  cases  has  been  much  greater 
than  our  number  of  recent  cases,  and  as  a  consequence  our  number  of  cures 
in  so  short  a  space  of  time  have  been  few,  at  least  among  the  former  class. 


94  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE    OF    THE    INSANE 

But  this  is  not  the  worst  of  it;  many  of  these  unfortunate  lunatics  have 
been  for  months  and  a  few  of  them  for  years  confined  in  gaol,  or  in  some 
dark,  ill-ventilated  and  cold  room  or  cell  at  the  residence  of  their  friends, 
where  their  safekeeping  alone  was  looked  to,  and  where,  from  neglect 
and  filth,  and  want  of  proper  medical  treatment,  they  have  been  reduced 
to  extreme  emaciation ;  from  such  mismanagement,  diseases  which  are  little 
under  the  control  of  medicine  were  contracted,  and  in  an  awfully  emaciated 
and  diseased  state  have  they  been  admitted  into  the  asylum,  some  of 
them  with  every  symptom  of  confirmed  decline,  and  others  with  a  chronic 
state  of  inflammation  of  the  lining  of  the  stomach  and  alimentary  canal, 
accompanied  with  an  aphthous  state  of  the  mouth  and  tongue,  all  proceed- 
ing from  improper  confinement  in  some  damp,  cold  place,  and  want  of 
attention  to  the  state  of  the  stomach,  an  irregularity  to  which  maniacs 
are  particularly  liable,  and  which,  if  not  attended  to,  independently 
aggravating  their  malady,  is  sure  to  produce  disease  in  some  shape  or 
other. 

Two  of  the  patients  were  admitted  with  fracture  of  the  thigh  bone ;  one 
of  them  was  a  female  six  months  gone  with  child,  who  jumped  out  of  a 
window  near  30  feet  from  the  ground;  the  other  a  man  who  had  cut  his 
throat  from  ear  to  ear,  and  only  been  dismissed  cured  about  six  months 
previously  from  the  asylum,  and  who  now  had  met  with  his  accident 
by  jumping  or  tumbling  over  a  ship's  side,  on  the  stocks.  The  cures  in 
these  two  cases  were  very  satisfactory.  They  were  both  performed  with- 
out splints,  and  the  strait  waistcoat  was  required  for  each  during  the 
whole  process.  The  woman  was  able  to  walk  before  she  was  delivered, 
and  perfectly  restored  to  reason  a  few  weeks  afterwards,  and  does  not 
show  the  slightest  limp,  indeed,  to  use  her  own  words,  "you'd  never  know 
her  leg  had  been  broken."  The  man,  poor  fellow,  though  perfectly  cured 
of  his  fractured  thigh  and  mania,  was  not  so  fortunate.  He  was  seized 
with  fever  during  his  convalescence,  from  which  he  had  a  relapse,  accom- 
panied with  a  good  deal  of  inflammation  of  the  mucous  membrane  or 
lining  of  the  bowels,  which  went  on  to  ulceration,  and  after  lingering  for 
some  time  with  protracted  and  exhausting  diarrhoea,  he  sank. 

There  has  been  a  great  deal  of  sickness  in  the  City  of  Saint  John  during 
the  whole  of  the  past  year.  Fever,  smallpox,  measles  and  many  other  con- 
tagious diseases  have  likewise  been  very  prevalent,  and,  in  common  with 
the  inhabitants  of  the  city,  the  inmates  of  our  asylum  have  suffered. 
We  have  lost  two  or  three  of  our  imbecile  patients  from  repeated  attacks 
of  fever ;  frequently  before  the  convalescence  was  fully  established  they 
have  been  thrown  back,  notwithstanding  the  great  care  which  is  paid 
to  their  diet,  cleanliness  and  general  health.  One  poor  fellow,  who  is  now 
quite  strong  and  well,  had  no  less  than  three  relapses,  and  I  quite  despaired 
of  ever  getting  him  upon  his  legs  again.  The  cold  weather,  however,  did 
wonders  for  him,  and  he  convalesced  rapidly. 

The  building  has  been  very  much  improved,  and  the  new  arrangements, 
both  in  the  yards  and  interior,  have  added  much  to  the  comfort  of  the 
establisliment.    But  we  still  labor  under  all  the  difficulties  of  want  of  space 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  95 

and  employment  for  the  patients,  without  which  they  are  sure  to  despond, 
and  brood  over  their  hallucinations.  Indeed,  it  may  be  truly  said  we  pos- 
sess only  half  the  means  of  cure. 

We  have  also  felt  very  great  inconvenience  from  the  want  of  proper 
keepers,  and  should  a  provincial  asylum  be  established,  it  will  be  indis- 
pensably necessary  to  obtain  two  or  three  persons  who  have  been  accus- 
tomed to  the  management  of  the  insane  in  some  one  of  the  asylums  in 
England  or  the  United  States  to  take  charge  of  the  patients  for  some  time, 
and  for  the  purpose  of  instructing  others  in  the  very  important  duties  of 
keepers  to  the  institution. 

With  regard  to  the  number  of  lunatics  in  and  belonging  to  the  province, 
I  believe  that  the  estimate  which  was  formed  of  i  in  every  looo  of  the 
population  will  be  found  to  be  very  near  the  truth.  There  are  a  number 
now  confined  in  asylums  in  the  States  who  would,  no  doubt,  be  imme- 
diately removed  here  by  their  friends  if  a  proper  establishment  was  pro- 
vided for  their  reception. 

In  conclusion,  allow  me  to  add  that  the  very  able  report  of  the  commis- 
sioners which  was  presented  to  the  Legislature  last  winter  has,  I  am  happy 
to  see,  been  spoken  of  in  the  most  unqualified  terms  of  approbation  in  the 
twelfth  annual  report  of  the  managers  of  the  Prison  Discipline  Society  of 
the  U.  S.  "  It  is  a  document,"  they  say,  '"  which  reflects  much  honor 
upon  the  commissioners  and  upon  the  province " ;  and  with  a  fer- 
vent hope  that  the  Legislature  will  act  upon  it  and  erect  a  building  in 
every  respect  according  to  the  plan  recommended  in  that  report. 
I  have  the  honor  to  be,  etc., 

George  P.  Peters,  M.  D. 
His  Ex.   Sir  John  Harvey,  etc. 

SUPERINTENDENT'S  REPORT. 

IN  CONNECTION  WITH  THE  ACCOUNT  OF  EXPENSES  AND  RECORD  OF 
LUNATICS  IN  THE  TEMPORARY  ASYLUM  IN  THE  CITY  AND 
PARISH  OF  SAINT  JOHN,  FOR  THE  YEAR  ENDING  3IST  DECEM- 
BER,   1837. 

While  tendering  the  account  for  expenses  in  support  and  safekeeping 
of  lunatics  in  the  temporary  asyliun  in  the  city  and  parish  of  St.  John  for 
the  year  ending  31st  December,  instant,  and  record  of  the  patients  under 
care  in  that  institution  for  the  same  time,  the  superintendent  begs  leave  to 
accompany  the  same  with  the  following  few  brief  remarks : 

First,  in  regard  to  the  account :  The  very  indifferent  state  of  the  build- 
ing used  for  an  asylum  and  its  partially  finished  condition  required  many 
improvements  to  be  made  on  it  last  year,  and  the  great  increase  in  number 
of  patients  this  year,  resulting  mainly  from  the  asylimi  being  thrown  open 
for  the  admission  of  patients  from  all  parts  of  the  province,  and  the  antici- 
pation of  more  in  prospect  from  the  same  cause,  rendered  it  absolutely 
necessary  to  extend  and  improve  the  accommodation  conformably  with 
such  increase  and  prospective  requirement. 


96  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

The  charges  in  the  account  for  the  different  services  of  the  institution 
may  be  classed  as  follows,  viz : 

£      s.    d. 

Supplies,  say,  wood,  coal,  straw,  soap,  candles,  oil,  etc 96    2    5 

Furnishings,  stoves  and  pipes,  bedsteads,  bedding  and  straight 

waistcoats,  etc 97    7    9 

Diet    368  14    3 

Qothing    79  16     I 

Funeral  expenses  17  10    o 

Improvements,  finishing  and  improving  original  building,  and 

constructing  additional  out-buildings 334  15  10 

Salaries  to  under  officers,  etc 72  10    o 

Miscellaneous,  cartages,  etc 15    o  il 


1081  17    3 

On  account  the  expenses  of  patients,  the  sum  of  £25  155.  from  the  friends 
of  Johnston  and  Austin  is  all  which  has  been  received,  and  from  the  pauper 
and  emigrant  character  of  the  lunatics  sent  to  this  temporary  institution 
but  little,  if  any,  part  of  the  cost  of  their  maintenance  and  protection  can 
ever  be  looked  for  or  expected. 

The  additional  account  of  charges  made  for  the  services  of  the  superior 
officers,  doctor,  house  steward  and  superintendent,  it  is  trusted,  will  not  be 
looked  upon  as  otherwise  than  moderate,  particularly  when  it  is  considered 
how  much  anxious  care  and  solicitude  must  attend  the  service  and  custody 
of  the  insane  at  all  times. 

Secondly,  the  record :  From  this  will  appear  the  great  number  requiring 
protection  and  support  in  the  institution  last  year,  amounting  in  all  to  54 
patients.  Of  this  number  34  were  males,  9  of  whom  remained  over  in  ward 
from  the  year  preceding  and  20  females,  5  of  whom  were  in  ward  from 
the  previous  year.  Of  the  34  males,  5  were  discharged  cured,  i  discharged 
improved,  I  escaped  and  13  died,  leaving  yet  in  ward  14;  of  which  number 
3  are  much  improved,  3  improved  in  some  degree  and  8  are  unimproved. 
Of  the  20  females,  10  were  discharged  cured,  one  discharged  to  friends  and 
2  died,  leaving  yet  in  ward  7 ;  of  which  number  i  is  much  improved,  2 
improved  in  some  degree  and  4  are  unimproved. 

As  the  medical  attendant,  Dr.  Peters,  has  made  particular  report  pro- 
fessionally on  the  subject  of  the  institution  and  its  inmates  to  the  Executive 
this  year,  and  furnished  the  superintendent  with  copy  of  such  report,  which 
copy  accompanies  the  account,  etc.,  herewith,  it  is  not  necessary  here  to  add 
anything  farther  on  the  subject  of  the  character  and  description  of  the 
patients,  more  than  to  state  that  the  intemperate  use  of  ardent  spirits  pre- 
vailing so  extensively  amongst  the  lower  orders  of  society,  and  particularly 
with  males,  accounts  for  the  great  prevalence  of  insanity  and  the  conse- 
quent mortality  amongst  patients  of  that  sex;  and  the  large  number 
admitted  of  all  sexes  is  greatly  owing  to  the  unusual  crowd  of  strangers  in 
the  city  and  parish  this  year  and  the  extraordinary  extent  of  sickness  gen- 
erally prevailing  amongst  them. 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  97 

The  rapidly  increasing  number  of  patients  in  this  temporary  institution, 
and  yet  almost  all  of  them  of  a  pauper  and  emigrant  character  only,  makes 
manifest  how  needful  it  is  to  have  a  provincial  establishment  of  this  descrip- 
tion in  a  suitable  situation,  and  on  a  generous  scale,  both  in  regard  to 
accommodation  in  buildings  and  extent  of  grounds  around,  for  the  ad- 
vantage of  this  unhappy  description  of  patients  amongst  the  most  unfortu- 
nate of  the  human  family ;  and  it  is  therefore  to  be  hoped  that  the  present 
session  of  the  Legislature  will  not  pass  by  without  some  solid  advances 
being  made  towards  laying  the  foundation  of  an  institution  for  the  insane 
on  a  plane  creditable  to  the  present  prosperous  and  enlightened  area  (era?) 
in  our  provincial  history,  to  be  followed  with  that  promptitude  in  its  con- 
struction and  equipment  as  shortly  to  supersede  the  very  imperfect  and 
inefficient  temporary  asylum  in  the  City  of  Saint  John. 

As  the  establishment  of  a  provincial  asylum  is  an  event  which  cannot 
but  be  looked  for  as  almost  immediate,  it  may  not  be  amiss  before  closing 
this  report  to  enumerate  here  the  principal  furnishings  on  hand  and  the 
value  in  the  temporary  asylum  capable  of  being  transferred  with  advantage 
to  another  institution  of  a  like  description ;  they  are  mainly  as  follows,  viz. : 

i8  iron  bedsteads,  with  bed  furniture  complete,  value,  £4  ids.  each £81 

18  cot  stretchers,  value  £3  each 54 

6  iron  plate,  and  8  sheet  iron  dumb  stoves,  with  pipes,  etc 50 

Straight  waistcoats,  etc 25 

£210 

Respectfully  submitted, 

George  Matthew, 
Principal  Overseer  and  Superintendent. 

RECORD    OF    LUNATICS    IN    THE    TEMPORARY    LUNATIC    ASYLUM    IN 

THE  CITY  AND  PARISH  OF  SAINT  JOHN  FROM   1ST  JANUARY 

TO    3 1  ST    DECEMBER     (INCLUSIVE),     1837. 

IN   WARD   FROM   LAST  YEAR. 

1.  Nelson  Hicks,  aged  26;  place  of  nativity,  State  of  New  York,  United 

States ;   disease,  idiocy ;  admitted   14th   November,    1835 ;   died  21st 
June,  1837. 

2.  Mary  Harney,  25,  County  Galway ;  idiocy ;  admitted  14th  November, 

1835 ;  remaining  incurable. 

3.  Jeremiah  O'Neil,  30;  County  Cork;  furiously  mad;  admitted  17th  No- 

vember, 1836;  died  24th  August,  1837. 

4.  John  Garden,  26 ;  City  of  St.  John,  Carleton ;  idiocy ;  2Sth  November, 

1835 ;  remaining  incurable. 

5.  William  Oran,  48;   City  of  St.  John;   furiously  mad;   ist  December, 

1835 ;  discharged  in  March ;  readmitted  3d  April,  1837 ;  died. 

6.  John  Reed,  48;  County  Derry;  idiocy;  ist  December,  1835;  remains. 

7.  Wm.  Austen,  50;  Cove  of  Cork;  epilepsy;  6th  February,  1836;  remain- 

ing incurable. 
8 


98  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

8.  Wm.  Ferguson,  20 ;  London ;  furiously  mad  ;  26th  March,  1836 ;  remain- 

ing incurable. 

9.  Eliz.  Warnock,  19;  County  Donegal;  furiously  mad;  30th  April,  1836; 

discharged  cured  2Sth  April,  1837. 

10.  Jane  Thorpe,  27;  St.  John;  idiocy;  ist  July,  1836;  remains. 

11.  Wm.  Ritchie,  26;  County  Donegal;  epilepsy;  6th  July;  remains. 

12.  James  Watson,  40 ;  Glasgow ;  idiocy ;  loth  October,  1836 ;  escaped  20th 

January,  1837,  readmitted  26th  October;  escaped  again  15th  Novem- 
ber, 1837. 

13.  Mary  Crawley,  35 ;  County  Cork ;  ordinary  mental  derangement ;  9th 

November,  1836;  discharged  28th  April,  1837;  readmitted  i8th  May; 
discharged  cured  8th  July,  1837. 

14.  Joanna  Cuiswick,  25 ;  County  Tipperary ;  furiously  mad ;  7th  December, 

1836;  discharged  cured  5th  May,  1837. 

ADMITTED   IN    1837. 

15.  James  Kayoung,  40;  nativity  unknown;  delirium  tremens;  2d  January; 

discharged  on  6th;  readmitted  and  died  on  15th  January. 

16.  Mary  White,  52;  St.  Andrews,  County  Charlotte;  delirium  tremens; 

nth  January;  discharged  cured  25th  September. 

17.  Cornelius  Murphy,  45 ;  County  Cork ;  delirium  tremens ;  29th  January ; 

discharged  cured  28th  February. 

18.  Robert  M'Beath,  43 ;  County  Donegal ;  delirium  tremens ;  8th  February ; 

discharged  29th  April;  readmitted  3d  May;  discharged  cured,  12th 
June. 

19.  John  Landers,  40;  Ireland;  ordinary  stupid  insanity;  7th  March;  died 

5th  April. 

20.  Peter  Hislop,  50;  Dumfries,  Scotland;  ordinary  insanity;  15th  March; 

remaining  much  improved. 

21.  John  Johnston,  50;  Cumberland,  Eng. ;  ordinary  insanity;  5th  April; 

discharged  cured  28th  June. 

22.  Thomas  York   (colored),  21;  St.  John;  idiocy;  7th  April;  remaining 

incurable. 
2Z.  David  Adams,  37 ;  County  Antrim ;  ordinary  insanity ;  Sth  May ;  dis- 
charged cured  14th  July. 

24.  Hugh  Campbell,  45 ;  County  Tyrone ;  delirium  tremens,  22d  May ;  dis- 

charged   7th    September ;    readmitted    14th    November ;    remaining 
improved. 

25.  Ann  Garvin,  31;  Connaught;  ordinary  insanity;  31st  May;  escaped  23d 

October;  re-admitted  ist  December;  remaining  improved. 

26.  Daniel  McLaughlan,  25;  County  Derry;  ordinary  insanity;  8th  June; 

died  2d  August. 
2"^.  James  Hussey,  21 ;  County  Kerry;  ordinary  insanity;  8th  July;  remain- 
ing improved. 

28.  Ellen  Neal,  23 ;  County  Kerry ;  ordinary  insanity ;  8th  July ;  discharged 

cured  4th  August. 

29.  Esther  Porter,  30 ;  County  Donegal ;  furiously  mad ;   13th  July ;  died 

26th  August. 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  99 

30.  Curly   Sullivan,  22, ;   County  Cork ;   ordinary  insanity ;   17th  July ;   died 

28th  November. 

31.  John  Long,  31 ;  County  Cork;  furiously  mad;  i8th  July;  died  27th  July. 
2,2.  Maria  White  (colored),  24;  Granville,  Nova  Scotia;  ordinary  insanity; 

26th  July ;  discharged  cured  loth  August. 
23.  Mary  Lieghy,  22, ;  County  Kerry ;  delirium  tremens ;  28th  July ;   dis- 
charged cured  i8th  August. 

34.  George  Mullen,  19;  County  Tyrone;  ordinary  insanity;  31st  July;  dis- 

charged improved  4th  December. 

35.  John  O'Neil,  27 ;  County  Tyrone ;  delirium  tremens ;  14th  August ;  died 

29th  August. 

36.  Daniel  Holmes,  14 ;  County  Donegal ;  idiot ;  19th  August ;  remaining 

unimproved. 
27.  Peter   Hopper,  40 ;   Westmoreland ;   ordinary  insanity ;   20th   August ; 
remaining  unimproved. 

38.  Mary  Cleary,  50 ;  County  Cork ;  delirium  tremens ;  22d  August ;  died 

29th  August. 

39.  Michael  Mullen,  11;  County  Derry;  ordinary  insanity;  24th  August; 

discharged  cured  i8th  September. 

40.  Crazy  Molly,   (about)  50;  nativity  unknown;  idiocy;  12th  September; 

remaining  unimproved. 

41.  Chas.  Seymore   (colored),  28;   Carleton,  St.  John;  ordinary  insanity; 

14th  September ;  died  14th  October. 

42.  Wm.  Thomson ;  28 ;  County  Donegal ;  delirium  tremens ;  20th  October ; 

died  23d  October. 

43.  Mary  Welch,  2)^ ;  County  Cork ;  delirium  tremens ;  22d  October ;  dis- 

charged cured  15th  November. 

44.  Timothy  Carty,  35 ;   County  Cork ;   ordinary  insanity ;  24th   October ; 

died  4th  November. 

45.  John  Carson,  38;  County  Fermanagh;  ordinary  insanity;  26th  October; 

remaining  much  improved. 

46.  Thos.  Osborne,  40;  County  Waterford;  delirium  tremens;  4th  Novem- 

ber ;  died  6th  November. 

47.  Cicely  Duffy,  25 ;  County  Donegal ;  ordinary  insanity ;  6th  November ; 

discharged  to  husband  nth  November. 

48.  Mary  McCarty,  24 ;  County  GaWay ;  ordinary  insanity ;  8th  November ; 

remaining  unimproved. 

49.  Mary  McCarty,  19 ;  Dublin ;  furiously  mad ;  14th  November ;  discharged 

cured  20th  December. 

50.  Bridget  McVey,  19;  County  Derry;  ordinary  insanity;  14th  November; 

remaining  unimproved. 

51.  Lucinda    Fitzimmons,    21;    County    Tyrone;    delirium    tremens;    25th 

November;  discharged  cured  ist  December. 

52.  Daniel  Gillespie,  38 ;  County  Donegal ;  delirium  tremens ;  28th  Novem- 

ber ;  remaining  much  improved. 


lOO  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

53.  Matilda  Winters,  35 ;  County  Donegal ;  ordinary  insanity ;  22d  Decem- 

ber ;  remaining  much  improved. 

54.  Thomas  McGraw,  33 ;  County  Fermanagh ;  delirium  tremens ;  28th  De- 

cember ;  remaining  unimproved. 

Geo.  Matthew, 
Principal  Overseer  and  Superintendent. 
City  and  Parish  of  Saint  John,  30th  December,  1837. 

GENERAL   ACCOUNT   FOR    EXPENSES    LUNATICS    IN    THE    TEMPORARY 

ASYLUM   IN  THE  CITY  AND  PARISH  OF  SAINT  JOHN   FROM   THE 

1ST   JANUARY    TO   3IST   DECEMBER    (INCLUSIVE),    1837. 

£      s.  d. 

Amount  Principal  Overseer  and  Superintendent  Matthew's  ac- 
count of  expenditure  for  support  and  safekeeping  of  lunatics, 
including  the  cost  of  improvements  and  additional  buildings 
and  furnishings  required  by  the  increase  in  number  of  patients, 
from  1st  January  to  31st  December,  1837  ;  and  after  deducting 
therefrom  the  sum  of  £25  155.  received  in  part  of  the  expenses 
of  two  of  the  patients  entertained  therein,  as  per  preceding 
statement 1056  2  3 

Amount  agreed  to  be  paid  to  Dr.  G.  P.  Peters  for  his  professional 
attendance  and  medicines  for  lunatics  during  the  year  ending 
31st  inst 50  0  0 

Amount  claimed  by  William  Nisbet,  house  steward,  and  considered 
to  be  well  earned,  for  services  performed  by  him  for  lunatics 
during  the  past  year 25  o  0 

Amount  claimed  by  Geo.  Matthew  for  overseeing  and  directing 
all  matters  concerning  the  institution  for  the  year  ending  at 
this  time 5°  0  0 


I 181  2  3 

Geo.  Matthew. 
City  and  Parish  of  Saint  John,  30th  December,  1837. 


NEW    BRUNSWICK  lOI 


APPENDIX  C. 

Copy  of  Inscription  on  Corner-Stone  of  Provincial  Lunatic 
Asylum,  St.  John,  N.  B. 

THIS  STONE, 
The  Corner  Stone  of  a  Building  to  be  erected  at  the  Public  expense  for  a 

PROVINCIAL  LUNATIC  ASYLUM, 

was,   on  the  twenty-fourth  day  of  June,   in  the  year   of  our  Lord  one 

thousand  eight  hundred  and  forty-seven,  in  the  eleventh  year  of  the 

Reign  of  our  Sovereign  Lady  VICTORIA,  by  the  Grace  of 

God,  of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and 

Ireland,  QUEEN,  and  in  the  seventh  year 

of    the    Administration    of   His 

Excellency 

SIR  WILLIAM  MACBEAN  GEORGE  COLEBROOKE,  K.  H., 

Lieutenant-Governor  and   Commander-in-Chief  of  the   Province  of  New 

Brunswick,  laid  with  due  solemnity  by  His  Excellency,  assisted 

by  the  Right  Worshipful  the  Provincial  Grand  Master, 

the  Honorable  ALEXANDER  KEITH, 

and    the    Albion    and    other 

Masonic   Lodges. 

COMMISSIONERS 

George  P.  Peters,  Esquire,  M.  D. 

William  Jack,  Esquire 

John  Ward,  Esquire 

John  R.  Partelow,  Esquire,  M.  P.  P. 

Mayor  of  the  City  of  Saint  John. 
Architect — Matthew  Stead.  Builder — Otis  Small. 


THE  CARE  OF  THE  INSANE  IN  NOVA  SCOTIA. 

NOVA  SCOTIA  HOSPITAL. 

Halifax.* 

Nova  Scotia  was  the  last  of  the  old  British  North  American 
provinces  to  make  appropriate  provision  for  its  insane.  Previous 
to  1857  pauper  lunatics  were  sent  to  the  "  lunatic  ward  "  of  the 
"  Provincial  and  City  Poors'  Asylum  "  in  Halifax,  or  cared  for  at 
home  in  a  way  that  can  be  imagined.  Patients  whose  friends 
could  afford  to  pay  for  them  found  accommodations  in  the  United 
States  or  the  adjoining  province  of  New  Brunswick,  whose  perma- 
nent hospital  for  the  insane  antedated  that  of  Nova  Scotia  by 
ten  years,  temporary  quarters  for  them  having  been  provided  for 
over  ten  years  prior  to  that. 

It  is  but  reasonable  to  suppose  that  an  appreciation  of  the  great 
need  for  a  suitable  hospital  had  been  indicated  for  some  years 
before  any  definite  action  was  taken  by  the  Legislature,  but  the 
earliest  authenticated  information  obtainable  on  the  subject  is 
that  contained  in  the  journal  of  the  House  of  Assembly  for  the 
year  1845.  From  this  we  learn  that  on  the  226.  of  February,  in 
that  year,  there  was  presented  to  the  House  by  A.  M.  Uniacke  a 
petition  from  the  Mayor,  Aldermen,  and  Common  Council  of  the 
City  of  Halifax,  praying  for  aid  towards  a  lunatic  asylum  or 
general  hospital  in  the  said  city,  for  which  purpose  large  sub- 
scriptions had  been  made.      , 

On  the  14th  of  March,  in  the  same  year,  the  Solicitor-General 
presented  a  copy  of  a  dispatch  from  Sir  Wm.  Colebrook,  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor of  New  Brunswick,  to  Lord  Falkland,  then 
Governor  of  Nova  Scotia.  It  bore  date  March  6,  and  referred 
to  the  advisability  of  the  establishment  of  a  joint  lunatic  asylum 
for  Nova  Scotia,  New  Brunswick  and  Prince  Edward  Island. 

The  report  of  the  committee  appointed  by  the  House  to  examine 
the  merits  of  the  proposed  asylum  or  general  hospital,  made 
March  25,  stated  among  other  things  that  Hugh  Bell,  the  Mayor 

^The  major  portion  of  this  sketch  is  by  Dr.  W.  H.  Hattie,  medical 
superintendent  of  the  Nova  Scotia  Hospital  for  Insane. 


NOVA    SCOTIA  103 

of  Halifax,  had  given  £300,  and  others  had  contributed  £540 
toward  the  establishment  of  an  asylum.  They,  had  furthermore 
found  that  in  the  Poors'  Asylum  some  42  insane  persons  were 
being  cared  for,  but,  while  the  neatness  and  cleanliness  of  this 
institution  were  favorably  commented  upon,  the  necessary  accom- 
modation for  the  insane  was  lacking.  In  their  estimation,  they 
stated  that  at  least  200  other  insane  people  were  to  be  found  in  the 
province,  and  added :  "  It  is  a  matter  of  notoriety  that  the  suffer- 
ings of  this  class  of  our  fellow-beings  are  greatly  aggravated  by 
the  unwillingness  of  persons  to  take  charge  of  them,  the  gross 
ignorance  that  prevails  as  to  their  mode  of  treatment,  and  by  the 
necessity  which  frequently  arises  of  confining  them  in  common 
jails,  where  they  are  not  infrequently  exposed  to  cruel  sufifering, 
and  have  little  chance  of  being  restored  to  their  reason  and 
society." 

It  is  evident  from  this  that  the  members  of  the  committee 
regarded  the  question  of  providing  institutional  care  for  the  insane 
of  the  province  as  a  highly  important  one.  They  had  given  much 
thought  to  it,  reviewed  a  mass  of  literature  placed  at  their  dis- 
posal, and  inquired  into  the  conditions  existing  in  other  countries. 

In  conclusion  the  report  stated  that  the  committee  was  favorably 
impressed  with  the  suggestion  of  a  joint  institution  for  the  three 
maritime  provinces,  but  also  recommended  "  that  steps  should 
be  taken  to  procure  information  upon  every  particular  connected 
with  the  building  and  sustaining  of  an  institution  within  the 
province  and  under  its  own  control,  in  order  that  it  may  be  laid 
before  this  House  at  a  future  session. 

To  obtain  this  information  the  committee  suggested  that  the 
Lieutenant-Governor  be  requested  to  commission  one  or  more  per- 
sons for  the  purpose  of  communicating  with  the  government  of 
New  Brunswick  upon  the  proposition  submitted,  and  also  to 
inquire  and  report  upon  a  suitable  site  for  a  building  within  the 
province,  and  to  obtain  plans  and  estimates  for  such  a  building, 
the  cost  of  the  necessary  furniture,  and  the  annual  expense  likely 
to  be  incurred,  together  with  such  additional  information  upon  the 
general  management  as  will  assist  the  Legislature  at  a  future 
session  in  deciding  upon  the  propriety  of  providing  the  requisite 
funds  for  the  object,  which  must  be  admitted  as  one  of  paramount 
importance. 


I04  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF    THE    INSANE 

In  accordance  with  the  recommendation  contained  in  this  re- 
port, Lord  Falkland  dispatched  a  commission,  composed  of  Hon. 
Hugh  Bell,  Samuel  P.  Fairbanks,  and  Dr.  Alexander  F.  Sawers,  to 
visit  New  Brunswick,  inquire  there  into  the  feasibility  of  a  joint 
institution  for  the  three  provinces,  and  then  pass  on  to  several 
states  of  the  American  Union,  in  order  to  gain  information  about 
the  construction,  equipment,  organization  and  management  of  insti- 
tutions for  the  insane. 

The  report  of  the  commission,  dated  February  3,  1846,  appeared 
in  the  journal  of  the  House  of  Assembly  for  that  year,  addressed 
to  Lord  Falkland. 

After  indicating  that  inquiry  had  convinced  them  of  the  inad- 
visability  of  uniting  with  the  provinces  of  New  Brunswick  and 
Prince  Edward  Island  in  the  establishment  of  a  common  institu- 
tion, the  report  gives  a  detailed  account  of  the  visit  to  a  number 
of  American  institutions.  The  members  of  the  commission  were 
greatly  impressed  with  what  they  saw  in  the  various  places  to 
which  their  mission  led  them,  and  gave  an  enthusiastic  account  of 
the  excellence  of  equipment  of  the  different  hospitals.  They 
referred  to  "  their  spaciousness,  their  excellent  construction,  their 
situation  in  the  midst  of  agreeable  and  attractive  scenery,  to  the 
liberal  outlay,  in  short,  upon  them,  of  both  mind  and  money,  with 
a  view  to  making  them  not  only  attractive  in  their  exterior,  but  as 
comfortable  as  possible  also  in  their  interior."  They  quoted  in 
the  highest  approval  the  words  of  Dr.  Luther  Bell,  then  super- 
intendent of  the  McLean  Hospital,  who  said,  in  reference  to  a 
recent  tour  of  European  asylums  : 

I  found  everywhere  recognized  a  principle  which  was  declared  to  be 
practical  fruits  of  the  experience  of  institutions  brought  into  existence 
during  the  interval  following  the  Parliamentary  inquiries  30  years  since. 
The  principle  is  this:  that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  just  and  proper  cura- 
tive or  ameliorating  treatment  of  the  insane  in  cheaply  constructed  or 
cheaply  managed  institutions ;  that  the  measure  of  expense  of  common 
paupers  should  never  be  regarded  in  providing  for  the  insane;  that  a 
better  class  of  almshouses  may  be  carried  on  for  receiving  lunatics,  and 
dignified  with  the  name  of  asylums  or  hospitals,  with  some  degree  of 
apparent  success,  but  to  do  the  greatest  amount  of  good  to  the  insane,  the 
mind  of  the  tax-paying  community  must  be  trained  to  understand  and 
admit  the  necessity  of  expensive  arrangements,  and  that  if  it  be  worth 
while  to  have  any  institutions,  it  is  worth  while  to  have  such  as  will  ac- 
complish all  of  cure  or  relief  which  is  practicable. 


NOVA    SCOTIA  ■  105 

The  report  further  included  an  exhaustive  summary  of  the  con- 
clusions reached  by  the  commission  with  reference  to  a  provincial 
institution,  under  the  headings  of  "  Architectural  Arrangements 
and  Organization." 

The  report  throughout  indicates  an  excellent  grasp  of  the  prob- 
lems by  those  composing  the  commission.  A  large  portion  of  the 
report  is  quite  applicable  nov^,  after  the  lapse  of  well  nigh  70 
years.  One  statement  made,  however,  reads  strangely  in  the  light 
of  more  modern  experience,  to  wit :  "  We  might  also  add,  what 
experience  has  verified,  that  wherever  an  asylum  is  established, 
there  the  numbers  of  insane  in  proportion  to  the  population  begin 
to  diminish.  This  is  a  natural  consequence  of  the  immediate 
attention  they  receive,  and  we  have  thus  a  double  saving,  both  of 
suffering  and  expense." 

On  the  report  being  submitted  to  the  House  of  Assembly,  it  was 
referred  to  a  committee  composed  of  Thos.  A.  S.  De  Wolf,  John 
Campbell,  A.  M.  Uniacke,  James  McNab  and  Henry  Martell. 
This  committee,  reporting  on  the  2d  of  March,  1846,  highly 
complimented  the  commissioners  on  the  thoroughness  of  their 
work,  and  expressed  hearty  sympathy  with  the  movement  looking 
toward  the  erection  of  an  asylum.  They  urged  immediate  com- 
mencement of  the  work,  saying :  "  Your  committee  are  deeply 
impressed,  as  well  by  the  facts  stated  in  the  commissioners' 
report  as  from  their  personal  knowledge  of  the  number  and 
unhappy  condition  of  that  class  of  persons  who  are  to  benefit  by 
an  institution  of  this  character,  and  that  the  time  has  now  arrived 
when  the  Legislature  and  the  wealthy  inhabitants  of  this  province 
are  imperatively  called  upon  to  make  a  commencement  in  the 
benevolent  work  of  providing  an  asylum." 

The  commissioners  gave  it  as  their  opinion  that  i  10,000  judi- 
ciously applied  would  purchase  the  necessary  grounds  and  erect 
and  furnish  such  buildings  as  would  meet  the  requirements  of  the 
province  for  many  years  to  come.  They  recommended  that  £2000 
annually  for  five  years  should  be  granted  for  this  purpose,  under 
such  guards  and  regulations  for  its  expenditure  as  the  House 
deem  prudent  and  necessary,  and  especially  that  a  grant  of  £2000 
for  the  current  year,  which,  with  the  private  subscriptions  (already 
amounting  to  nearly  iiooo),  would  procure  the  site  and  the 
requisite  materials  preparatory  to  building,  thus  enabling  those 


I06  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF    THE    INSANE 

who  may  be  appointed  to  conduct  this  expenditure  to  make  a 
suitable  beginning-  in  a  work,  the  satisfactory  completion  of  which 
can  only  be  accomplished  with  time. 

On  the  14th  of  March  following  Mr.  De  Wolf  moved  that  the 
report  of  his  committee  be  referred  to  the  committee  of  supply. 
To  this  there  was  no  opposition,  but  the  Solicitor-General,  Mr. 
Howe,  and  others,  "  objected  to  commencing  a  work  which  would 
avowedly  cost  iio,ooo,  and  might  cost  double  that  sum,  at  the  end 
of  a  session,  when  the  treasury  was  empty,  when  no  site  had  been 
selected,  and  there  was  no  time  to  arrange  details  which  ought  to 
be  adjusted  before  a  work  of  such  magnitude  was  commenced. 
The  Solicitor-General  accordingly  moved  in  amendment  that  con- 
sideration of  the  subject  be  deferred  until  the  next  session.  The 
amendment  carried  by  a  vote  of  20  to  12."  ^ 

Two  days  later,  on  motion  of  A.  M.  Uniacke,  it  was  resolved 
"  that  His  Excellency  the  Lieutenant-Governor  be  respectfully  re- 
quested to  make  such  inquiries  as  may  be  necessary  for  ascertain- 
ing the  most  suitable  situation  in  this  province  for  a  lunatic  asylum 
and  for  ascertaining  the  probable  cost  of  founding  and  subse- 
quently sustaining  such  an  establishment,  and  report  the  informa- 
tion to  this  House  at  its  next  session,  together  with  suitable  plans 
and  specifications." 

The  committee  to  which  this  task  was  allotted  was  composed 
of  Hugh  Bell,  Dr.  A.  F.  Sawers,  John  E.  Fairbanks,  A.  M. 
Uniacke,  and  Charles  Twining.  In  their  report,  dated  January  i, 
1847,  they  mention  three  available  sites :  one  of  900  acres  at  Birch 
Cove,  valued  at  £1200;  one  of  470  acres  at  Prince's  Lodge,  valued 
at  £1500;  and  one  of  100  acres  at  Dartmouth,  valued  at  £500. 
The  site  at  Birch  Cove  was  favored  by  all  the  members  of  the 
committee  except  Mr.  Fairbanks,  who  preferred  the  Dartmouth 
site,  and  they  estimated  that  a  building  to  accommodate  120 
patients  would  cost  £9600,  exclusive  of  land,  stock,  furniture,  etc. 
By  way  of  comparison  they  stated  that  the  estimate  for  a  new 
asylum  in  New  Brunswick  for  150  patients  was  £15,000,  while  for 
one  in  Toronto  for  300  patients  it  was  £50,000.  The  total  cost  of 
sustenance  of  120  patients  it  was  anticipated  would  be  about  £4320 
annually,  of  which  probably  £2240  would  have  to  be  borne  by  the 

*"The  Nova  Scotian,"  March  23,  1846. 


NOVA   SCOTIA  107 

provincial  treasury,  and  it  was  recommended  that  accommodation 
for  this  number  should  be  at  once  provided,  the  building  being  so 
designed  as  to  permit  of  enlargement  as  might  be  required.  It 
was  further  recommended  "  that  the  whole  structure  be  substantial 
and  of  the  best  materials ;  and  that  all  the  atchitectural  arrange- 
ments be  designed  and  finished  with  undeviating  reference  to  the 
health,  comfort  and  cleanliness  of  the  patients,  by  the  introduction 
of  hot  and  cold  baths,  of  the  most  approved  means  of  heating  and 
ventilating  the  apartments  and  corridors,  and  of  an  efficient 
system  of  draining  away  impurities  and  bad  odors  from  all  parts 
of  the  building." 

In  opening  the  session  of  1847  Sir  John  Harvey,  then  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor, included  in  his  speech  this  pointed  reference 
to  the  urgent  need  for  a  hospital : 

There  is  another  matter  which  has  constituted  to  me  a  subject  of  the 
most  painful  interest  in  all  the  colonies  with  which  I  have  hitherto  been 
connected,  and  which  presents  itself  to  me  in  no  less  distressing  aspect  in 
this.  I  allude  to  the  absence  of  suitable  arrangements  for  the  reception 
and  treatment,  with  a  view  to  relief  or  cure,  of  that  class  of  unhappy 
beings  which  I  grieve  to  believe  is  rapidly  increasing  in  these  colonies, 
owing  to  the  causes  to  which  I  have  adverted,  viz.,  the  want  of  those 
means  of  eflfectual  application  to  the  disease  in  its  incipient  stages  which  I 
regard  as  the  solemn  duty  of  the  legislature  of  every  colony  to  provide 
for  its  pauper  lunatics.  I  accordingly  earnestly  recommend  this  subject 
to  your  serious  and  compassionate  consideration,  in  connection  with  a 
very  able  and  satisfactory  report  which  will  be  laid  before  you  from  the 
commissioners  appointed  by  my  predecessor  in  the  administration,  to  select 
the  best  site  for  the  proposed  building. 

There  was  still  delay,  however,  and  three  years  later  Sir  John 
again,  in  a  speech  at  the  beginning  of  a  session  of  the  Legislature, 
betrayed  considerable  impatience  at  this  lack  of  activity,  saying 
"  that  absence  of  any  provision  for  lunatics  has  been  painfully 
forced  upon  my  attention  during  the  recess,  and  I  refer  to  the 
subject  for  the  purpose  of  submitting  whether  some  arrange- 
ment might  not  be  made  either  for  the  erection  and  endowment  of 
an  asylum  for  the  insane,  or  for  the  maintenance,  in  suitable  insti- 
tutions founded  in  the  neighboring  provinces,  of  those  unfor- 
tunates who,  without  the  light  of  reason,  are  unable  to  support 
themselves." 


I08  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

A  few  days  later  (January  21,  1850)  there  was  presented  to  the 
Legislature  a  memorial  from  Miss  Dorothea  L.  Dix,  praying  for 
immediate  action/ 

This  memorial  of  Miss  Dix  is  of  peculiar  interest  to  Nova 
Scotians,  inasmuch  as  their  province,  so  far  as  can  be  learned, 
seems  to  have  been  the  only  one  of  the  British  North  American 
colonies  toward  which  she  devoted  special  attention ;  the  reason 
therefor  probably  being  that  it  was  the  most  backward  in  providing 
proper  provision  for  the  insane.  The  province  bears  the  further 
honor  of  having  had  the  site  for  its  hospital  selected  by  this  world- 
renowned  and  universally  esteemed  philanthropist,  who  also  took 
an  active  part  in  determining  various  questions  connected  with  the 
erection  of  the  building,  and  is  said  on  several  occasions  to  have 
come  into  sharp  conflict  with  members  of  the  government  and 
others,  usually  carrying  her  point.  As  an  added  mark  of  her 
sympathy  toward  the  movement  Miss  Dix  gave  a  collection  of 
pictures  to  ornament  the  hospital  walls. 

The  appeal  of  Miss  Dix,  set  forth  in  graceful  but  vigorous 
English,  is  well  worthy  of  perusal.  It  is  an  able  statement  of  a 
strong  case,  her  arguments,  proving  the  crying  necessity  for  the 
immediate  erection  of  an  insane  hospital,  being  supported  by  a 
formidable  array  of  facts  and  figures  gathered  from  various 
sources  and  countries,  as  well  as  a  plain  recital  of  the  then  deplor- 
able condition  of  the  insane  in  Nova  Scotia. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  the  select  committee  to  whom  the  me- 
morial was  referred  gave  expression  to  their  great  admiration  of 
the  noble  lady,  "  who,  endowed  with  every  quality  calculated  to 
advance  society,  dedicates  her  time  and  thoughts  solely  to  the 
cause  of  those  who  cannot  appreciate  her  efforts." 

This  committee,  composed  of  James  McLeod,  Stephen  Fulton, 
John  Ryden,  Joseph  Howe  and  Samuel  Creelman,  recommended 
that  "  a  bill  be  passed  during  the  present  session  containing  pro- 
vision for  the  appointment  of  commissioners  to  select  a  site  and 
erect  the  requisite  buildings,  the  whole  expense  not  to  exceed 
i 1 5,000,  to  be  borrowed  as  required  and  repaid  by  installments  of 
£3000  per  annum." 

Notwithstanding  such  urgent  appeals  for  early  action,  and  not- 
withstanding the  fact  that  both  private  donations  and  legislative 

*  Appendix  A,  Vol.  I,  p.  482. 


NOVA    SCOTIA  109 

grants  were  made  for  the  purpose,  some  years  still  elapsed  before 
a  beginning  was  made,  and  it  was  not  until  1856  that  construction 
was  actually  commenced.  Among  the  most  important  of  the 
private  donations  was  the  sum  of  £1670  left  by  John  Brown,  a 
wealthy  merchant  of  Halifax,  the  interest  of  which  was  to  be 
appropriated  for  the  support  of  the  indigent  insane,  and  £300,  a 
year's  salary  of  the  then  mayor  of  that  city,  Hugh  Bell.  The 
condition  attached  to  Mr.  Bell's  gift  was  that  the  interest  upon 
it  and  an  additional  £200,  contributed  by  an  anonymous  friend  of 
his,  should  for  the  first  four  years  be  devoted  to  the  purchase 
of  books  for  a  hospital  library. 

The  date  selected  for  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone  was  the 
natal  day  of  Halifax,  "  the  ever-memorable  anniversary  of  the 
landing  of  Cornwallis  and  his  adventurous  compatriots  on  the 
shores  of  '  old  Chebucto.'  "  As,  however,  the  8th  of  June  fell  on 
Sunday  in  the  year  1856,  the  holiday  was  celebrated  on  the  9th. 
A  few  days  before  the  troopship  Himalaya  had  arrived,  bringing 
1400  officers  and  men  of  the  62d  and  63d  regiments  from  the  battle- 
fields of  the  Crimea,  and  the  holiday  programme  included  a  civil 
welcome  to  the  veterans.  We  often  flatter  ourselves  that  ours 
are  strenuous  times,  but  the  record  of  that  holiday  is  one  which 
we  cannot  well  expect  to  surpass.  At  sunrise  the  volunteer 
artillery  announced  the  fact  that  Halifax  had  reached  its  io8th 
birthday  by  a  salute  of  108  guns,  to  a  vigorous  accompaniment  of 
bell-ringing,  whistle-blowing  and  sundry  other  methods  of  mani- 
festing pleasure.  A  loyal  address  to  the  throne,  an  appropriate 
formal  welcome  to  the  recently  arrived  troops,  and  a  grand 
review  of  the  whole  garrison  were  the  principal,  though  by  no 
means  the  sole,  events  which  contributed  to  the  joy  of  that  eventful 
day.  In  the  afternoon  attention  was  directed  toward  the  new  hos- 
pital, and  across  the  harbor  the  citizens  flocked — by  ferry,  by  tugs, 
by  sail-boats  and  by  row-boats — to  witness  the  rites  associated 
with  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone.  The  arrangements  for  the 
ceremony  were  elaborate.  The  volunteer  artillery,  with  field  guns, 
were  early  despatched  to  the  scene.  A  guard  of  honor,  composed 
of  the  flank  companies,  band  and  colors  of  the  63d  Regiment, 
followed  in  proper  order.  Then  the  Masonic  bodies,  with  the 
band  of  the  76th  Regiment,  took  up  their  respective  positions.  At 
the  appointed  hour  Major-General  Sir  John  Gaspard  Le  Marchant, 


no  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

the  Lieutenant-Governor,  arrived  with  his  suite,  and  was  received 
with  a  salute  of  13  guns.  The  stone  was  laid,  in  accordance  with 
Masonic  ritual,  by  Alexander  Keith,  Grand  Master,  assisted  by 
the  Lieutenant-Governor.  When  it  had  been  pronounced  well  and 
truly  laid,  a  salute  of  21  guns  was  fired  by  the  artillery.  Then 
followed  felicitations,  and,  as  the  Governor  departed,  another 
salute  of  13  guns  announced  the  completion  of  the  ceremonies. 
Yet,  after  all  this,  an  evening  of  fetes  and  festivities  was  required 
to  round  out  a  holiday  in  the  year  1856. 

A  humorous  description  of  the  event,  excerpted  from  "  Acadia, 
or  a  Month  with  the  Bluenoses,"  by  Frederick  S.  Cozzens,  who 
had  come  to  Nova  Scotia  in  search  of  health,  is  of  interest  in  this 
connection.     (See  Appendix  A.) 

Despite  the  care  thus  taken  that  the  corner-stone  should  be 
"  well  and  truly  laid,"  it  is  recorded  in  Mrs.  Lawson's  "  History 
of  Dartmouth,  Preston  and  Lawrencetown  "  that  during  the  night 
following  the  ceremony  some  miscreants  capsized  the  newly  laid 
stone  and  appropriated  the  various  articles  which  had  been  de- 
posited therein. 

The  site  selected  and  christened  by  Mrs.  Hugh  Bell,  with  the 
sanction  of  Miss  Dix,  "  Mount  Hope,"  comprised  85  acres  of 
land,  only  a  small  portion  of  which,  however,  was  arable,  pic- 
turesquely situated  on  the  Dartmouth  side  of  the  harbor  of  Hali- 
fax, at  a  distance  of  about  two  miles  from  the  city.  While  excel- 
lent as  a  site,  the  shape  of  the  property  was  ill-adapted  for  an 
insane  hospital,  being  more  than  a  mile  in  length,  but  only  600  feet 
in  width,  so  that  the  south  wing  of  the  building  came  within  a  few 
feet  of  the  boundary  line,  and  the  north  wing,  when  completed, 
left  only  room  for  a  roadway  on  the  hospital  property. 

The  institution  was  built  on  plans  suggested  by  Dr.  C.  H. 
Nichols,  superintendent  of  the  Government  Hospital  for  the 
Insane  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  of  which  institution  it  was  a  modi- 
fied copy.  The  structure  was  of  brick,  made  for  the  most  part  on 
the  premises,  and  was  designed  with  wings  two  and  three  stories 
in  height,  the  center  building  being  four  stories  in  height. 

From  the  date  of  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone  steady  progress 
was  made,  and  a  portion  of  the  edifice  was  completed  and  furnished 
by  the  autumn  of  T857.  The  administration  department  being  still 
only  on  paper,  a  portion  of  the  finished  structure  was  partitioned 


NOVA    SCOTIA  III 

off  for  a  commissioner's  office,  kitchen,  chapel,  and  quarters  for 
the  superintendent,  steward  and  matron. 

The  executive  officers  took  possession  of  their  temporary  quar- 
ters on  the  1st  day  of  December,  1857,  the  first  medical  superin- 
tendent being  Dr.  J.  R.  De  Wolf,  who  had  been  appointed  such 
in  May  preceding.  On  the  26th  of  the  same  month,  the  first 
patient,  a  man,*  was  admitted,  and  within  the  next  four  weeks  18 
others  were  received,  13  of  the  number  being  transfers  from  the 
Poors'  Asylum  of  Halifax.^  This  institution,  now  the  Halifax 
City  Asylum  and  Poorhouse,  was  supported  jointly  by  the  province 
and  the  city.  It  received  paupers  from  all  parts  of  the  province, 
and  had  two  wards  for  lunatics. 

By  the  terms  of  an  act  entitled  "  An  Act  for  the  Management 
of  the  Hospital  for  the  Insane,"  passed  May  7,  1858,  the  title  of  the 
establishment  was  declared  to  be  "  The  Provincial  Hospital  for 
the  Insane  "  ^  and  its  object  defined  as  "  the  most  humane  and 
enlightened  curative  treatment  of  the  insane  of  this  province." 
The  Governor,  the  Chief  Justice,  the  Provincial  Secretary,  the 
President  of  the  Legislative  Council,  the  Speaker  of  the  House  of 
Assembly  and  the  heads  or  authorized  representatives  of  all  the 
Christian  churches  in  the  province  were  made  ex-officio  visitors 
of  the  hospital. 

The  management  of  the  hospital  was  at  first  vested  in  a  body  of 
commissioners,  nine  in  number,  appointed  by  the  Governor  in 
Council,  who  were  created  a  body  corporate  under  the  name  of 
"  The  Commissioners  of  the  Provincial  Hospital  for  the  Insane." 
They  served  without  compensation,  the  original  members  being 
Dr.  D.  McNeil  Parker,  chairman ;  Geo.  H,  Starr,  Daniel  Creamer, 
Samuel  A.  White,  David  Faulkner,  John  A.  Bell,  John  Dorill, 

''  In  his  report  for  the  year  1907  Dr.  Hattie,  medical  superintendent, 
says :  "  This  man  is  at  the  present  writing  a  patient  with  us,  although  he 
made  a  good  recovery  from  the  attack  for  which  he  was  first  admitted 
and  was  for  many  years  free  from  mental  disorder." 

^  Report  of  the  commissioners  and  medical  superintendent  of  the  Pro- 
vincial Hospital  for  the  Insane,  Halifax,  N.  S.,  for  the  year  1858,  p.  24. 

^  This,  in  1872,  was  changed  to  the  Nova  Scotia  Hospital  for  the  Insane, 
and,  in  1900,  with  the  publication  of  the  Revised  Statutes  of  that  year,  again 
amended  to  become  what  it  now  is,  the  Nova  Scotia  Hospital. 


112  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

Dominick  Farrell  and  John  W.  Ritchie/  They  were  to  hold  quar- 
terly meetings  (more  frequently  if  necessary),  and  one  or  more 
of  their  number  were  to  visit  the  hospital  every  Wednesday. 

The  medical  superintendent,  appointed  by  the  Governor  in 
Council,  was  the  chief  executive  officer  of  the  hospital.  He  was 
expected  to  be  a  well-educated  physician,  and,  in  addition  to  min- 
istering to  the  health  and  well-being  of  the  patients,  was  required 
to  direct  the  various  departments  of  the  hospital,  "  subject  to  the 
judgment  and  control  of  the  commissioners." 

The  act  of  1858  did  not  specify  what  rates  were  to  be  charged 
the  various  municipalities  for  the  care  of  their  insane,  but  did 
specify  that  the  admissions  from  each  county  should  be  in  the 
ratio  of  its  insane  population,  and  guarded  against  overcharges 
by  stating :  "  Indigent  persons  and  paupers  shall  be  charged  for 
medical  attendance,  board  and  nursing,  while  residents  of  the  hos- 
pital, no  more  than  the  actual  cost."  For  patients  not  chargeable 
to  townships,  districts  or  counties  the  rate  was  to  be  arranged 
by  the  commissioners,  "  having  relation  to  the  accommodation 
desired  and  afforded."  One  of  the  first  duties  of  the  commis- 
sioners was,  therefore,  to  fix  the  rates  at  which  indigent  persons 
should  be  admitted.  This  they  did,  making  the  rate  for  males  £32 
IDS. ;  for  females  £26  per  annum.  These  amounts  were  estimated 
to  be  considerably  under  the  cost  of  actual  maintenance.^ 

The  rate  for  private-paying  patients  was  fixed  at  £50  per  annum, 
those  requiring  extra  accommodations  and  attendance  to  be 
charged  accordingly. 

Insane  transient  paupers  were  authorized  to  be  received  at 
provincial  expense,  but  only  after  the  commissioner  had  been 
satisfied  by  affidavit  and  documentary  testimony  that  such  persons 
were  not  properly  chargeable  to  any  township  or  county  of  the 
province. 

The  commissioners  seemingly  anticipated  criticism  of  their  scale 
of  charges,  as  appears  by  the  following  extract  from  their  report, 
dated  January  24,  1859 : 

^  Report  of  the  commissioners  and  medical  superintendent  of  the  Pro- 
vincial Hospital  for  the  Insane  at  Dartmouth,  Halifax,  N.  S.,  for  the  year 
1858,  p.  13. 

^  Report  of  the  commissioners  and  medical  superintendent  of  the  Pro- 
vincial Hospital  for  the  Insane  at  Dartmouth,  Halifax,  N.  S.,  for  the  year 
1858,  p.  8. 


NOVA    SCOTIA  113 

Contrasted  with  the  usual  charges  for  board  and  lodging  in  the  capital 
and  other  parts  of  the  province,  the  commissioners  find  that  laboring  and 
mechanical  classes  pay  for  these  two  items  about  from  £30  to  £40  per 
annum ;  while  young  men  and  lads  engaged  in  offices  and  stores  are  charged 
not  less,  and  often  more,  than  £1  per  week;  rather  more  than  the  above 
hospital  rate  for  private-paying  patients.  Now  it  is  to  be  borne  in  mind 
that  all  the  patients  of  the  institution  will  not  only  be  provided  with  board 
and  lodging  of  a  superior  description,  but  with  medical  and  other  attend- 
ance, nursing,  washing,  mending,  and  the  use  of  a  good  library,  besides 
many  other  comforts,  some  of  which  we  may  designate  as  luxuries,  that 
even  the  wealthy  have  not  always  at  their  command. 

On  December  31,  1859,  the  close  of  the  first  year  of  the  hospi- 
tal's existence,  there  were  in  residence  55  patients — 28  males  and 
27  females. 

The  portion  of  the  building  originally  constructed  provided  for 
only  90  patients,  w^hereas  the  number  of  lunatics  in  the  province, 
including  those  still  remaining  in  the  Poors'  x\sylum,  was  estimated 
at  not  less  than  350.  In  consequence  the  commissioners,  even  in 
their  first  report,  urged  upon  the  Lieutenant-Governor  the  pressing 
need  for  increased  accommodation.  They  further  stated  that 
there  were  several  insane  criminals  in  the  provincial  penitentiary 
and  different  jails  who  should  be  removed  to  the  hospital  at 
Dartmouth,  but  for  whose  safekeeping  they  could  not  become 
responsible,  because  the  part  of  the  hospital  intended  by  the  origi- 
nal design  for  insane  criminals,  violent  and  noisy  patients  had  not 
yet  been  commenced.^ 

Work  was  accordingly  begun  on  the  southern  division  of  the 
building.  This,  comprising  two  wards,  was  ready  for  occupancy 
about  the  end  of  May,  1861.  In  1865,  the  cry  still  being  "no 
room,"  the  Legislature  passed  a  grant  of  $80,000,  and  the  construc- 
tion of  the  center  building  and  a  part  of  the  north  wing  was  im- 
mediately entered  upon,  the  original  design  being,  in  the  main, 
adhered  to.  These  additions  were  completed  in  the  latter  part  of 
1867  and  opened  for  the  reception  of  patients  in  1868.  The  trans- 
fer of  the  officers  and  ofificers'  quarters  to  the  new  administration 
building  admitted  of  the  rooms  previously  occupied  for  these 
purposes  being  utilized  for  patients  as  primarily  intended.  This 
enabled  a  much  better  classification,  the  new  or  north  wing  being 

^  Report  of  the  commissioners  and  medical  superintendent  of  the  Pro- 
vincial Hospital  for  the  Insane  at  Dartmouth,  Halifax,  N.  S.,  for  1858, 
p.  II. 


114  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF    THE    INSANE 

reserved  for  women,  the  old  or  south  wing  for  men.  The  new 
wards,  three  in  number,  were  named  after  the  most  prominent 
benefactors  of  the  institution,  the  Bell,  Brown  and  Binney  wards/ 

The  completion  of  the  hospital,  as  originally  designed,  was 
realized  in  1874,  its  nominal  capacity  being  330.  It  consisted  of 
eight  wards  for  male  patients  and  nine  wards  for  female  patients. 
According  to  the  custom  of  the  time,  the  nurses  and  attendants  had 
rooms  on  their  wards  ;  each  ward  had  a  separate  dining  room,  and 
the  superintendent,  with  his  family,  occupied  apartments  in  the 
building.  In  1902  a  congregate  dining  room  for  the  quieter 
patients  was  provided,  thus  permitting  of  several  of  the  ward 
dining  rooms  being  converted  into  sleeping  apartments  for 
inmates.  The  upper  story  of  this  congregate  dining  room  was 
fitted  up  as  a  comfortable  and  commodious  amusement  hall.  In 
1907  a  store  building  was  erected,  the  upper  story  of  which  con- 
tained quarters  for  male  attendants.  In  this  year,  too,  a  separate 
residence  was  built  for  the  medical  superintendent,  thus  allowing 
of  a  redistribution  of  quarters  in  the  main  building  and  new 
quarters  for  the  nurses.  By  these  various  changes  the  capacity 
of  the  hospital  was  increased  to  440.  Another  important  occur- 
rence in  the  year  1907  was  the  purchase  for  the  hospital  of  a  plot 
of  land  immediately  adjoining  the  hospital  property  to  the  south, 
consisting  of  about  160  acres. 

A  building  for  acute  cases,  now  approaching  completion,  con- 
tains separate  wards,  especially  equipped  for  tubercular  cases, 
as  also  semi-detached  sections  for  other  infectious  cases.  In 
planning  this  structure  general  hospital  ideas  were  adhered  to 
as  closely  as  possible.  In  the  central  section,  on  the  ground  floor, 
are  the  offices,  visitors'  rooms,  laboratory,  treatment  room  and 
day  rooms  for  patients,  while  in  the  basement  provision  is  made 
for  a  hydrotherapeutic  installation.  An  operating  room,  with 
accessory  rooms,  is  situated  on  the  first  floor,  while  the  upper 
story  contains  quarters  for  the  staff.  From  either  side  of  the 
central  section  wings  project  which  are  but  one  story  in  height. 
In  these  are  situated  the  wards,  with  the  necessary  diet  kitchens, 
linen  rooms  and  lavatories.  A  small  ward,  of  ten  beds  on  either 
side,  will  be  set  apart  for  tubercular  patients,  the  verandas  of 

^  Provincial  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  Halifax,  N.  S.,  tenth  annual  report 
of  the  medical  superintendent,  being  for  the  year  1867,  p.  7. 


NOVA    SCOTIA  115 

which  are  very  broad  and  roofed  with  glass.  A  small,  self-con- 
tained section  is  provided  on  each  side  of  the  building  for  the 
reception  of  any  cases  of  infectious  disease  (other  than  tuber- 
culosis) which  may  develop. 

Dissensions  had  arisen  among  the  members  of  the  original 
Board  of  Commissioners  as  early  as  1859,  while  some  adverse  criti- 
cism of  their  methods  of  finance  had  been  made.  These  troubles 
in  i860  increased  to  such  a  degree  as  to  seriously  interfere  with 
the  discipline  and  good  government  of  the  institution.  The  result 
was  that  they  were  referred  to  the  Lieutenant-Governor  in  Coun- 
cil, whereupon,  the  commissioners  having  resigned,  after  a  little 
more  than  two  years'  service,  the  control  of  the  hospital  was  vested 
in  a  Board  of  Works,  composed  of  Hugh  Munroe,  Andrew 
McKinlay  and  John  Gibson,  with  J.  H.  Anderson,  receiver-general, 
as  treasurer.^ 

In  this  same  year  (i860)  the  hospital  sustained  a  severe  loss  in 
the  death  of  its  promoter  and  staunch  advocate,  Hugh  Bell,  whose 
philanthropy  and  liberality  had  been  of  such  essential  service  to 
the  insane. 

In  1867  a  new  arrangement  came  into  efifect.  In  this  year 
Robert  Robertson  became  Commissioner  of  Mines  and  Works  and, 
associated  with  a  board  of  three  commissioners,  Charles  Twining, 
George  G.  Dunston  and  John  Starr,  was  given  the  general  super- 
vision of  the  hospital,  in  place  of  the  former  Board  of  Works.  At 
the  same  time  the  superintendent,  who  had  hitherto  done  the  work 
alone,  was  given  a  much-needed  assistant,  in  the  person  of  Dr. 
Robert  W.  McKeagney. 

The  year  1878  saw  two  important  changes  in  the  management 
of  the  hospital.  Dr.  De  Wolf,  medical  superintendent,  after  20 
years'  service,  retired  to  give  place  to  Dr.  A.  P.  Reid,  and  the 
Commissioners  of  Public  Charities  were  entrusted  with  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  institution.  Under  the  new  arrangement 
Samuel  Creelman  was  chairman  from  1878  to  1882,  Albert  Gayton 
from  that  year  until  1884,  and  Charles  E.  Church  subsequently 
until  still  another  method  of  management  became  operative  in 
1886. 

^  Provincial  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  Halifax,  N.  S.,  third  report  of  the 
medical  superintendent,  being  for  the  year  i860,  p.  11. 


Il6  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF    THE    INSANE 

In  this  year  the  government  aboHshed  the  Board  of  PubHc 
Charities  and  made  the  Commissioner  of  PubUc  Works  and  Mines, 
then  Charles  E.  Church,  the  sole  authority.  This  arrangement, 
which  is  still  in  vogue,  was  supplemented  by  the  appointment  of 
an  Inspector  of  Humane  Institutions,  Dr.  A.  C.  Page,  making  the 
system  practically  identical  with  that  of  Ontario,  the  working  of 
which  had  been  very  successful. 

Under  the  regime  of  Mr.  Church,  who  remained  in  office  until 
1901,  when  he  was  compelled  to  retire  because  of  ill-health,  several 
important  improvements  were  effected,  to  wit,  the  erection  of  a 
dining  room  building,  the  introduction  of  electric  lighting  and  the 
replumbing  of  the  entire  hospital.  His  successors  in  office, 
Arthur  Drysdale  (now  Justice  Drysdale),  Wm.  T.  Pipes  and 
Christopher  P.  Chisholm,  were  no  less  zealous  in  their  efforts  at 
advancement.  Among  the  advances  made  under  their  successive 
administrations  were  the  erection  of  a  store,  building  and  a  resi- 
dence for  the  medical  superintendent,  the  installation  of  a  sand-bed 
filter  and  a  new  heating  and  ventilating  system,  and  the  erection 
of  a  new  power  plant.  The  present  commissioner,  Ernest  H. 
Armstrong,  who  succeeded  to  office  in  1911,  has  been  most  atten- 
tive to  the  needs  of  the  hospital  and  most  sympathetic  with  its  aims. 
Under  his  direction  has  been  erected  the  new  building  for  acute 
cases  already  referred  to  and  now  nearly  completed. 

In  1892  Dr.  Reid  resigned  the  position  of  medical  superin- 
tendent and  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  George  L.  Sinclair,  whose  15 
years'  service  as  assistant  superintendent  admirably  qualified  him 
for  the  position.  Dr.  Sinclair  having  retired  in  1898  to  accept 
the  position  of  Inspector  of  Humane  Institutions,  was  succeeded 
by  Dr.  W.  H.  Hattie,  the  present  able  superintendent. 

Broadly  speaking,  the  Nova  Scotia  Hospital  for  the  Insane  is 
kept  well  up  to  the  times.  It  is  conducted  entirely  on  the  non- 
restraint  principle,  and  has  a  training  school  for  nurses  attached. 
This  was  organized  by  Dr.  Sinclair  in  1893,  and  has  done  admirable 
work  in  the  preparation  of  nurses  to  more  intelligently  discharge 
their  important  duties. 

The  institution  still  remains  the  only  one  of  the  kind  in  the 
province,  but,  since  1886,  a  few  counties  have  erected  county 
asylums,  and  a  number  combined  county  asylums  and  poorhouses. 
They  are  built  and  maintained  by  the  various  municipalities.    To 


NOVA    SCOTIA  117 

these  can  be  transferred  the  harmless  insane  from  the  provincial 
hospital,  and  to  them  can  be  sent  direct  idiots,  non-violent  epileptics 
and  cases  of  chronic  insanity  refused  admission  upon  statu- 
tory grounds.  Each  of  the  establishments  is  governed  by  a  com- 
mittee. The  immediate  management  is  entrusted  to  a  keeper  and 
a  matron,  and  there  is  a  visiting  medical  officer  attached.  They 
are  also  regularly  inspected  at  non-stated  intervals  by  the  Inspec- 
tor of  Humane  Institutions,  who  reports  to  the  government  upon 
the  condition  of  each  and  is  empowered  to  order  the  transfer  of 
any  patient  from  them  to  the  provincial  hospital. 

As  chronic  cases  who  are  quiet  and  industrious  are  usually 
transferred  to  the  county  asylums,  it  naturally  follows  that  the 
proportion  of  patients  employed  on  the  farm  and  in  the  shops  of 
the  hospital  proper  is  relatively  small.  Nevertheless,  there  are  a 
goodly  number  kept  busy  there,  and  considerable  of  the  construc- 
tion work  accomplished  of  late  years  has  been  materially  forwarded 
by  their  aid. 

These  county  structures  have  been  erected  in  pursuance  of  a 
plan  outlined  by  Dr.  Reid  and  named  by  him  "  The  County  Cottage 
Asylum  System,"  ^  a  plan  necessitated  by  the  pressing  need  of 
additional  room  for  the  insane,  and  the  financial  inability  of  the 
province  to  undertake  the  erection  of  another  hospital.  It  is 
only  fair  to  Dr.  Reid,  however,  to  state  that  this  was  the  last  of 
four  alternative  suggestions  made  by  him,  and  that  it  was  the  one 
he  considered  the  least  desirable,  although  the  cheapest  way  to 
provide  the  required  room.  The  other  three  plans  in  order  of 
merit  were :  first,  the  erection  of  an  additional  hospital  in  another 
section  of  the  province ;  second,  the  enlargement  of  the  existing 
hospital  by  the  construction  of  a  number  of  cottages;  third,  the 
creation  of  a  provincial  institution  for  the  chronic  insane.  Some 
of  the  essentials  to  Dr.  Reid's  scheme  as  originally  outlined  were 
the  following,  which,  unfortunately,  have  not  always  been  adhered 
to:  first,  that  no  patient  should  be  permitted  to  remain  in  one  of 
the  county  asylums  who  had  not  been  sent  from  the  provincial 
hospital,  and  who  was  by  the  authorities  there  considered  fit  to  be 
thus  cared  for.  Every  case  temporarily  admitted  to  such  asylums 
to  be  allowed  to  remain  only  long  enough  to  permit  of  transfer 

^  Twenty-fifth  annual  report  of  the  Nova  Scotia  Hospital  for  Insane  for 
the  year  1882,  p.  14. 


Il8  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

to  the  provincial  institution,  thus  guarding  against  the  possibility 
of  recent  cases  being  detained  there  to  their  detriment.  Second, 
the  insane  and  paupers,  though  under  the  same  management, 
to  be  provided  for  in  separate  buildings,  at  such  a  distance  apart 
as  to  give  privacy  to  the  insane,  the  two  classes  not  being  allowed 
to  mix  when  outside.  Third,  a  farm  to  be  connected  with  each 
asylum,  consisting  of  not  less  than  an  acre  of  good  land  for  each 
patient. 

The  water  supply  for  the  institution  is  obtained  from  a  lake 
owned  by  it,  situated  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter  distant,  while 
fire  protection  is  provided  through  the  agency  of  a  power  house 
located  on  the  shore  of  the  harbor.  Here  are  installed  two  fire 
pumps,  each  with  a  capacity  of  750  gallons  per  minute,  which 
take  water  directly  from  the  harbor. 

The  maintenance  of  the  hospital  is  undertaken  by  the  govern- 
ment, the  lands  and  buildings  being  provided  by  the  province. 
The  municipalities  are  charged  at  the  rate  of  $3.50  per  capita  per 
week  for  the  patients  they  send  in.  The  medical  officers  and 
accountant  of  the  hospital  are  appointed  by  the  Governor  in 
Council,  the  other  officers  by  the  Commissioner  of  Public  Works. 
Nurses,  attendants  and  servants  are  appointed  by  the  medical 
superintendent. 

At  the  opening  of  the  hospital  the  commitment  of  a  patient  to 
it  required  that  a  statement  (history)  of  the  case  was  to  be  for- 
warded to  the  superintendent,  who  advised  the  commissioner 
whether  the  patient  should  be  received  or  not.  If  the  decision 
were  favorable  to  admission,  two  medical  certificates,  a  warrant 
(signed  by  two  justices  of  the  peace  or  a  stipendiary  magistrate) 
and  an  order  for  reception  (issued  by  the  commissioner)  were 
demanded  before  the  case  could  be  accepted.  In  1909  the  warrant 
was  abolished,  and  at  the  present  time  two  medical  certificates, 
with  a  history  of  the  case,  constitute  the  authority  for  anyone  to 
convey  a  patient  to  the  hospital  and  for  the  medical  superinten- 
dent to  detain  him  therein.  In  191 1  provision  was  made  for  volun- 
tary admission  to  the  hospital  under  similar  conditions  to  those 
which  obtain  in  the  State  of  New  York  and  elsewhere. 

By  the  census  of  191 1  the  total  number  of  mental  defectives 
in  Nova  Scotia  was  1655,  of  whom  1176  were  under  institutional 
care,  441  of  these  being  in  the  provincial  hospital.    On  September 


NOVA    SCOTIA  119 

30,  1913,  the  said  hospital  population  had  increased  to  454,  viz., 
223  men  and  231  women. 

A  perusal  of  the  old  reports  of  the  hospital  indicates  continuous 
progress.  Often  enough  great  difficulties  had  to  be  contended 
with,  and,  in  the  earlier  days  especially,  vexatious  and  troublesome 
complications  were  frequent.  The  transportation  facilities  of  50 
years  ago  were,  of  course,  poor  as  compared  with  those  of  the 
present  time,  and  often  made  it  difficult  to  get  patients  to  and 
from  the  hospital,  it  being  said  that  on  one  occasion  it  took  a 
patient  from  Victoria  County  39  days  to  reach  the  institution. 

APPENDIX  B.' 

It  was  my  fate  to  see  next  day  a  great  celebration.  It  was  the  celebra- 
tion of  peace  between  England  and  Russia.  Peace  having  been  proclaimed, 
all  Halifax  was  in  arms !  Loyalty  threw  out  her  bunting  to  the  breeze 
and  fired  her  crackers.  The  civic  authorities  presented  an  address  to  the 
royal  representatives  of  Her  Majesty,  requesting  His  Excellency  to  trans- 
mit the  same  to  the  foot  of  the  throne.  Militiamen  shot  ofif  municipal 
cannon ;  bells  echoed  from  the  belfries ;  the  shipping  fluttered  with  sig- 
nals ;  the  Citadel  Hill  telegraph,  in  a  multitude  of  flags,  announced  that 
ships,  brigs,  schooners  and  steamers,  in  vast  quantities,  were  below.  Nor 
was  the  peace  alone  the  great  feature  of  the  holiday.  The  8th  of  June, 
the  natal  day  of  Halifax,  was  to  be  celebrated  also.  For  Halifax  was 
founded,  so  says  the  Chronicle,  on  the  8th  of  June,  1749,  by  the  Hon.  Ed- 
ward Cornwallis  (not  our  Cornwallis),  and  the  'Alligonians  in  consequence 
make  a  specialty  of  that  fact  once  a  year.  And  to  add  to  the  attraction, 
the  Board  of  Works  had  decided  to  lay  the  corner-stone  of  a  lunatic  asylum 
in  the  afternoon ;  so  there  was  no  end  to  the  festivities.  And  to  crown  all, 
an  immense  fog  settled  upon  the  city 

As  I  said  before,  to  make  the  festivities  complete,  in  the  afternoon  there 
was  a  procession  to  lay  the  corner-stone  of  a  lunatic  asylum.  But  Oh !  how 
the  jolly  old  rain  poured  down  upon  the  luckless  pilgrimage!  There  were 
the  virgins  of  Masonic  Lodge  No.  3 ;  the  Army  Masons  in  scarlet ;  the 
African  Masons  in  ivory  and  black ;  the  Scotch  piper  Mason,  with  his  legs 
in  enormous  plaid  trousers,  defiant  of  Shakespeare's  theory  about  the  sen- 
sitiveness of  some  men  when  the  bagpipe  sings  i'  the  nose ;  the  clerical 
Mason  in  shovel  hat ;  the  municipal  artillery ;  the  Sons  of  Temperance, 
and  the  band.  Away  they  marched,  with  drum  and  banner,  key  and  com- 
pass, Bible  and  sword,  to  Dartmouth,  in  great  feather,  for  the  eyes  of 
Halifax  were  upon  them. 

*  From  "  Arcadia,  or  a  Month  with  the  Bluenoses,"  by  Frederick  S.  Coz- 
zens. 


CARE  OF  INSANE  IN  ONTARIO. 

The  first  movement  toward  providing  for  the  insane  in  the 
then  Province  of  Upper  Canada  was  made  in  1830,  when  the 
House  of  Assembly  passed  an  act  authorizing  the  General  Quarter 
Sessions  to  make  provision  for  the  relief  of  destitute  lunatics  in 
the  Home  District.''  This  act,  which  in  1833  was  extended  to  all 
the  districts  of  the  province/  did  not  contemplate  the  erection 
of  an  asylum.  It  proposed  merely  to  legalize  the  payment  for 
the  maintenance  of  lunatics  in  county  jails,  w^hich  until  then,  and 
for  nearly  eleven  years  thereafter,  formed  the  only  refuge,  other 
than  their  homes,  for  these  poor  creatures. 

The  evil  of  the  prevailing  state  of  affairs  was  clearly  recognized. 
Between  1830  and  1839  numerous  attempts  were  made  in  the 
Legislature  toward  the  institution  of  an  asylum,  all  of  which, 
however,  proved  abortive.  In  1831  the  York  grand  jury  reported 
in  favor  of  building  an  asylum,  wherein  they  considered  the 
insane  would  receive  greater  care  and  comfort  than  was  possible 
in  the  common  jails.  During  the  same  year  notice  was  given  in 
the  House  of  a  bill  to  establish  an  asylum  in  connection  with  York 
Hospital,  but  it  was  not  presented.  In  the  session  of  1832-33 
a  motion  was  made  in  the  Legislature  to  grant  iioo  to  be  expended 
on  plans  and  estimates  for  an  asylum,  but  it  failed  to  pass.  Next 
session,  1833-34,  a  motion  was  made  to  grant  i6ooo  for  the  erec- 
tion of  an  asylum,  but  this  also  was  voted  down.  In  1835  there 
was  another  notice  of  motion  to  establish  an  asylum,  but  it  was 
not  proceeded  with.  In  1836  a  motion  to  grant  iiO,ooo  to  defray 
the  expense  of  building  an  asylum  was  made,  but  did  not  carry. 
At  the  same  session  a  notice  of  motion  for  the  erection  of  an 
asylum  by  a  tax  on  banks  was  recorded,  but  never  presented. 
Again,  in  the  session  of  1836-37  notice  of  motion  was  given  to 
procure  plans  and  estimates  for  a  suitable  building  for  the  insane, 
but  the  motion  was  never  made.  Finally,  on  March  15,  1839,  a 
resolution  authorizing  a  grant  of  £3000  toward  the  erection  of  a 

'  Statutes  of  Upper  Canada,  11  George  IV.,  Cap.  20,  A.  D.  1830. 
'  Statutes  of  Upper  Canada,  3  William  IV.,  Cap.  45,  A.  D.  1833. 


ONTARIO  121 

lunatic  asylum  was  put  and  carried  by  a  large  majority.  An  act 
framed  in  accordance  with  this  resolution  was  passed  April  24, 
and  on  May  11  received  the  assent  of  His  Excellency  Sir  George 
Arthur,  then  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  province. 

In  the  preamble  thereto  the  reasons  for  this  act  are  thus  set 
forth : 

Whereas,  The  establishment  of  an  asylum  in  this  province  for  the  recep- 
tion of  insane  persons  has  become  necessary,  and  it  is  therefore  expedient 
to  authorize  His  Excellency  the  Lieutenant-Governor  to  appoint  com- 
missioners for  superintending  the  erection  of  a  suitable  building  to  be 
appropriated  for  the  purpose  aforesaid,  and  to  provide  for  the  appointment 
of  officers  for  the  government  thereof,  and  to  frame  regulations  for  the 
management  of  the  said  asylum,  and  to  authorize  the  Court  of  Quarter 
Sessions  in  each  district  in  the  province  to  levy  an  additional  assessment 
of  one-eighth  of  a  penny  in  the  pound,  to  be  annually  appropriated  to  the 
erection  of  the  said  asylum,  and  in  the  purchasing  of  land  sufficient  for  a 
site,  and  maintaining  and  supporting  the  same ;  be  it  therefore  enacted  by 
the  Queen's  Most  Excellent  Majesty,  by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent 
of  the  Legislative  Council  and  Assembly  of  the  Province  of  Upper  Canada, 
constituted  and  assembled  by  virtue  of  and  under  the  authority  of  an  act 
passed  in  the  Parliament  of  Great  Britain  entitled  "  An  Act  to  Repeal 
Certain  Parts  of  an  Act  Passed  in  the  Fourteenth  Year  of  His  Majesty's 
Reign  entitled  '  An  Act  for  Making  More  Effectual  Provision  for  the 
Government  of  the  Province  of  Quebec,  in  North  America,  and  to  Make 
Further  Provision  for  the  Government  of  the  Said  Province,'  and  by  the 
authority  of  the  same.  That  an  asylum  for  the  reception  of  insane  and 
lunatic  persons  shall  be  erected  on  such  plot  of  ground  as  shall  be  appro- 
priated by  the  Lieutenant-Governor,  or  purchased  by  commissioners 
appointed  under  the  authority  of  this  act  for  the  purpose."  * 

Among  the  provisions  of  the  act  were  the  following : 

Of  the  commissioners  appointed  to  superintend  the  erection 
of  the  asylum,  one  was  to  be  an  experienced  medical  practitioner. 

As  soon  as  the  building  was  ready  for  the  reception  of  patients 
His  Excellency  was  to  appoint  a  board  of  directors,  to  consist  of 
not  less  than  12  persons,  residents  within  the  province,  to  control 
its  affairs. 

The  Board  of  Directors  was  empowered  to  frame  rules  and 
regulations  for  the  management  of  the  institution,  and  to  appoint 
a  resident  medical  superintendent,  whose  salary  was  not  to  exceed 
£300  per  annum.  They  were  also  given  the  appointment  of  all 
other  officers  and  servants  with  power  to  remove  them  at  pleasure, 

*  Statutes  of  Upper  Canada,  2  Vict.,  Cap.  10,  A.  D.  1839. 


122  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF    THE    INSANE 

and  to  fix  the  amount  of  their  salaries,  subject  to  the  confirmation 
or  disallowance  of  the  Lieutenant-Governor. 

Three  members  were  constituted  a  quorum  of  the  Board  of 
Directors,  which  was  to  meet  at  least  once  in  each  month  at  the 
asylum.  A  plurality  of  votes  was  to  be  binding  and  conclusive 
upon  any  matter  before  it,  the  chairman,  in  case  of  a  tie,  being 
given  the  casting  vote. 

A  yearly  report  was  to  be  made  by  the  board  to  the  Lieutenant- 
Governor  for  the  information  of  the  Legislature. 

Subjects  of  Her  Majesty,  residents  of  the  province,  were  to 
be  received  into  the  estabHshment  after  proof  of  these  facts  to  the 
satisfaction  of  the  board,  or  any  one  member  thereof,  in  case  the 
board  was  not  sitting,  and  the  production  of  a  certificate  signed 
by  at  least  three  resident  physicians  practising  in  the  province 
that  such  person  had  been  examined  by  them  collectively  and 
found  to  be  insane. 

In  case  the  superintendent  or  any  ofificial  of  the  asylum  admitted 
a  patient  without  receiving  such  certificate,  together  with  an  order 
from  the  board  or  one  of  its  members,  he  was  liable  to  a  penalty 
of  iioo,  recoverable  by  any  one  in  any  of  Her  Majesty's  courts 
of  record  in  the  province.  One  moiety  of  such  penalty  went  to 
the  use  of  the  institution  and  the  other  to  the  party  entering  the 
suit. 

The  board  was  authorized  to  fix  the  rates  at  which  patients 
should  be  received,  and  in  the  case  of  destitute  persons  to  admit 
them  free  of  charge  upon  proof  that  they  were  without  means. 

Vacancies  among  the  directors  were  to  be  filled  by  the  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor. 

On  the  20th  of  September  following  the  passage  of  this  act  His 
Excellency  was  pleased  to  appoint  the  Hon.  John  Macaulay, 
Inspector-General,  Christopher  Widmer,  M.  D.,  and  Alexander 
Wood,  Esq.,  to  be  commissioners  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  it 
into  efifect."  The  next  year  we  find  his  appointees  addressing  the 
following  communication  to  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons of  Upper  Canada: 

Toronto,  April  r6,   1840. 

Sir:  The  commissioners  for  erecting  a  lunatic  asylum  in  this  province 
have   resolved   to   ask   the   opinion   of   the    College   of    Physicians    and 


^  Upper  Canada  Gazette,  October  3,  i839>. 


ONTARIO  123 

Surgeons   regarding  the   eligibility   of   a   certain   site   north   of   the   city, 
whereon  to  erect  the  building,  as  to  salubrity. 

The  commissioners  respectfully  request  the  attention  of  the  college  to 
this  matter  at  its  earliest  convenience,  and  will  point  out  the  spot  alluded 
to  whenever  the  college  shall  be  pleased  to  give  them  notice  of  its  intention 
to  view  it/ 

We  have  the  honor  to  be,  Sir, 

Your   obedient   servants, 

(Signed)     C.  Widmer, 

Alexander  Wood, 
Co  m  missioners. 
To  Lucius  O'Brien,  M.  D.,  Secretary, 

College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Upper  Canada. 

The  college  appointed  Drs.  John  King,  Wm.  C.  Gwynne  and 
George  Herrick  a  committee  to  inquire  into  the  subject  matter  of 
this  communication.  At  its  next  meeting,  held  April  25,  these 
gentlemen  reported  having  visited  three  sites  lying  contiguous 
to  each  other  north  of  the  city,  the  properties  of  John  Scadding, 
Esq.,  James  Small,  Esq.,  and  Hon.  Wm.  Allan.  Either  of  these 
localities  they  considered  would  be  an  eligible  site  for  the  intended 
asylum,  but  gave  the  preference  to  the  James  Small  property  on 
account  of  its  superior  elevation. 

Beyond  this  consultation  with  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons,  there  does  not  appear  to  have  been  anything  done  by  the 
original  commissioners,  who  on  November  3,  1840,  were  replaced 
by  a  board  consisting  of  the  Hon.  Robert  S.  Jamieson,  C.  Widmer, 
M.  D.,  Alexander  Wood,  Esq.,  James  Sampson,  Esq.,  and  John 
Ewart,  Esq.^  This  absence  of  action  may  have  been  due  to  the 
fact  that  it  was  still  a  much-mooted  question  whether  the  proposed 
asylum  should  be  located  at  Kingston  or  Toronto,  the  Lieutenant- 
Governor  strongly  favoring  the  former  city.  In  consequence  of 
this  doubt  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  adopted,  June 
10,  1840,  the  following  memorial : 

To  His  Excellency  Major-General  Sir  George  Arthur,  K.  C.  H.,  Lieutertant- 
Governor,  etc. 
We,  the  president,  vice-president  and  fellows  of  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  of  Upper  Canada,  respectfully  beg  leave  to  address  Your 

^ "  The  Medical  Profession  in  Upper  Canada,"  1783  to  1850,  W.  CannifF, 
M.  D.,  p.  142. 
'  Upper  Canada  Gazette,  November  27,  1840. 


124  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF    THE    INSANE 

Excellency  on  a  subject  of  vital  importance  to  the  college  and  the  profes- 
sion generally  throughout  the  province. 

Having  understood  that  Your  Excellency  has  recently  come  to  the 
determination  that  the  asylum  to  be  erected  in  this  province  for  the  recep- 
tacle of  insane  and  lunatic  persons,  in  pursuance  of  the  provisions  of  the 
statute  of  the  2d  Victoria,  Chap.  XI,  shall  be  located  at  Kingston,  we 
would  earnestly  but  most  respectfully  offer  to  Your  Excellency  many 
cogent  reasons  upon  which  we  hope  Your  Excellency  may  be  rendered 
(induced?)  to  alter  your  determination  thereon. 

It  certainly  could  not  have  escaped  Your  Excellency's  penetration  that 
such  an  establishment  as  a  lunatic  asylum  should  be  so  situated  that  it 
would  afford  to  the  friends  of  the  pitiable  objects  for  whose  accommoda- 
tion, protection  and  cure  it  is  founded  the  assurance  of  their  receiving  the 
most  efficient  and  popular  professional  aid  that  could  be  obtained  in  the 
province ;  and  without  detracting  at  all  from  the  merits  of  the  respectable 
practitioners  of  our  art  in  Kingston,  we  would  humbly  submit  that,  as  is 
the  case  in  other  countries,  the  description  of  talent  most  likely  to  be 
highly  estimated  by  the  public  is  generally  to  be  found  in  the  dense  and 
wealthy  population  of  a  metropolitan  city.  In  looking  forward  to  the 
future,  the  period  we  hope  is  not  far  distant  when  the  beneficial  operations 
of  the  ample  endowment  of  a  university  in  this  city  will  be  available  for 
the  instruction  of  medicine. 

The  pressure  (presence?)  of  an  institution  for  the  cure  of  mental 
diseases  as  an  adjunct  to  the  present  practical  benefits  offered  by  the 
general  hospital  will  present  to  the  student  of  medicine  advantages  of  an 
importance  that  he  should  not,  for  trifling  considerations,  be  deprived  of. 
The  rapid  strides  with  which  the  science  of  mental  pathology  has  of  late 
years  advanced  would  lead  to  the  hope  that  the  opportunities  for  observa- 
tion in  so  large  a  field  as  this  asylum  would  present  will  not  be  lost  to  the 
medical  student  of  our  future  university  through  an  error  which,  when 
once  consummated,  cannot  be  remedied. 

We  shall  not  be  deemed  visionary  when  we  declare  to  Your  Excellency 
that  the  first  fruits  of  an  effective  organization  of  a  school  for  medical 
instruction,  of  which  the  projected  lunatic  asylum  should  form  a  part,  will 
afford  results  of  an  immensely  valuable  nature,  both  politically  and  morally, 
to  the  inhabitants  of  this  favored  province. 

If  we  are  deprived  of  the  important  addition  which  we  pray  for,  and  the 
asylum  is  removed  without  the  pale  of  the  university,  we  consider  that  it 
will  be  shorn  of  a  most  valuable  and  important  feature  in  its  usefulness. 

Having  pointed  out  the  reasons  which  more  immediately  concern  us  as 
a  professional  body,  we  would  suggest  to  Your  Excellency  one  of  a 
character  which,  as  citizens,  we  cannot  allow  ourselves  to  pass  over 
unnoticed.  The  House  of  Assembly  in  its  last  session  was  moved  to 
address  His  Excellency  the  Governor-General  for  reasons  then  brought 
forward,  praying  that  His  Excellency  would  cause  the  asylum  to  be  located 
in  Kingston. 


ONTARIO  125 

This  motion  being  negatived  by  a  large  majority  of  the  House  is  a  proof 
that  the  feelings  of  the  representatives  of  the  people  were  opposed  to  the 
measure  now  about  to  be  adopted  by  Your  Excellency,  and  cannot  fail  to 
strike  us  as  a  proof  that  it  would  be  highly  unpopular  generally  in  the 
province. 

In  the  hope  that  Your  Excellency  will  consider  the  importance  of  the 
subject  submitted  to  Your  Excellency  in  this  address  as  a  sufficient  excuse 
for  trespassing  upon  Your  Excellency's  valuable  time,  we  conclude  by 
earnestly  entreating  Your  Excellency  to  reconsider  the  determination 
which  Your  Excellency  has  arrived  at/ 

The  result  of  this  and  other  pressure  brought  to  bear  was  that 
the  Lieutenant-Governor  abandoned  his  idea  of  locating  the 
asylum  at  Kingston,  and  Toronto  was  definitely  determined  on 
as  its  site. 

Since  the  passage  of  the  bill  authorizing  the  erection  of  its  first 
lunatic  asylum,  and  the  final  selection  of  Toronto  as  the  location 
of  the  said  institution,  Ontario  has  made  wonderful  progress  in 
providing  for  the  care  and  comfort  of  its  insane.  "  Excelsior  " 
has  been  the  motto  of  the  province,  which,  instead  of  one,  has 
now  ten  public  hospitals,  inclusive  of  one  each  for  idiots  and 
epileptics.  These  afiford  accommodation  for  a  population  of 
about  7000.  There  are  also  two  private  sanitaria  for  the  treatment 
of  nervous  and  mental  cases  as  well  as  drug  and  alcoholic  habitues. 
The  aim  of  the  government  has  been  to  keep  abreast,  so  far  as 
possible,  with  the  results  of  psychiatric  research,  and  with  this  end 
in  view  there  is  now  under  construction  at  Whitby  a  thoroughly 
equipped  modern  hospital  for  the  insane  to  replace  the  one  in 
Toronto,  which  has  done  duty  for  nearly  three-quarters  of  a 
century. 

Pari  passu  with  the  creation  of  additional  buildings  as  needed, 
changes  have  from  time  to  time  been  made  in  the  lunacy  laws,  all 
trending  toward  the  betterment  of  the  condition  of  the  insane, 
so  that  at  present  the  statutes  leave  little  to  be  desired  beyond  the 
elimination  of  the  leaven  of  political  patronage  which  still  exists 
as  regards  the  appointment  of  officials.  Happily  this  also  is  being 
gradually  lessened,  so  that  we  now  see  occasional  promotions  of 
deserving  officers  instead  of  their  being  selected  from  among 
outside  medical  men  on  account  of  political  services  rendered. 

^"The  Medical  Profession  in  Upper  Canada,"  1783  to  1850,  by  W.  Can- 
niff,  M.  D.,  p.  148. 


126  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF    THE    INSANE 

The  provincial  asylum  system,  as  now  existent,  dates  back  to 
the  year  of  Confederation,  when  among  the  exclusive  powers 
vested  in  the  Legislature,  by  the  British  North  America  Act,  was 
"  the  establishment,  maintenance  and  management  of  asylums." 
Prior  to  1867  the  insane  were  cared  for  jointly  by  the  United 
Provinces  of  Upper  and  Lower  Canada. 

Probably  the  most  far-reaching  and  beneficial  of  the  changes 
wrought  under  the  new  system  was  the  superseding  by  one  inspec- 
tor, in  1868,  of  the  former  Board  of  Inspectors.  Through  this 
new  appointee  acting  under  the  direction  of  the  Hon.  Provincial 
Secretary,  the  asylums  were  brought  under  direct  governmental 
supervision. 

In  1 87 1  still  further  progress  was  made  by  the  Legislature 
passing  "  An  Act  Relating  to  Lunatic  Asylums  and  the  Custody 
of  the  Insane."  This  act  definitely  defined  the  duties  of  asylum 
ofificers,  the  terms  upon  which  patients  were  to  be  admitted,  the 
rate  of  their  maintenance,  and  provided  for  the  proper  administra- 
tion of  estates  of  the  insane  by  the  inspector. 

Again,  an  act  legalized  at  the  legislative  session  of  1913,  and 
entitled  "  An  Act  Respecting  Provincial  Hospitals  for  the  Insane 
and  the  Custody  of  Insane  Persons," '  contains  several  reforms 
along  the  lines  of  progressive  legislation.  Among  these  are  the 
substitution  of  the  term  "  hospital  "  for  "  asylum  "  ;  provision  for 
the  admission  of  voluntary  patients ;  and  the  forbiddance  of  the 
confinement  of  any  person  alleged  to  be  insane  in  a  gaol,  lock-up, 
prison  or  reformatory  while  the  question  of  sanity  is  being 
determined  and  while  waiting  admission  to  a  hospital.  By  the 
latter  provision  it  becomes  incumbent  upon  municipalities  to 
provide  some  suitable  place  where  an  insane  person  may  be  com- 
fortably detained  until  the  inspector  and  superintendent  of  the 
hospital  for  the  district  can  be  communicated  with  and  admission 
to  the  hospital  secured. 

The  same  act  reaffirms  that  the  Inspector  of  Asylums  shall  be, 
ex-ofUcio,  the  committee  of  every  insane  person  who  has  no  other 
committee,  and  who  is  detained  in  any  hospital,  sanitarium  for 
mental  diseases,  or  place  of  safe  custody,  unless  the  High  Court 
of  Division  shall  appoint  a  committee  for  such  patient,  in  which 
case  the  duties  of  the  inspector  as  such  shall  cease. 

'  Revised  Statutes  of  Ontario,  Chap.  295,  1914. 


ONTARIO  127 

During  the  same  session  of  the  Legislature  there  was  also 
passed  an  act  revising  that  in  force  respecting  private  sanitaria 
for  mental  diseases,  drug  and  alcoholic  habitues/  This  ordains 
that  all  such  institutions  shall  be  under  the  supervision  of  the 
Inspector  of  Asylums  and  a  Board  of  Visitors.  The  board  is 
composed  of  the  judge  of  the  county  or  district  court,  the  clerk 
of  the  peace  and  the  sherifif  of  the  county  or  district  in  which  the 
sanitarium  is  situate,  together  with  two  legally  qualified  medical 
practitioners  appointed  by  the  Lieutenant-Governor  in  Council, 
who  shall  hold  office  for  three  years  unless  sooner  removed  by  him. 
No  member  of  the  board  shall  be  pecuniarily  interested  in  any 
sanitarium,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  and  no  medical  practi- 
tioner who  is  a  member  of  it  shall  sign  any  certificate  for  the 
admission  of  a  patient  into  any  sanitarium,  or  shall  professionally 
attend  upon  any  patient  therein,  unless  he  is  directed  to  visit  such 
patient  by  the  person  upon  whose  order  such  patient  has  been 
received  into  the  sanitarium,  or  by  the  minister  or  one  of  the 
judges  of  the  Supreme  Court,  or  by  some  person  appointed  by  one 
of  such  judges  for  that  purpose.  Every  sanitarium  is  to  be  visited 
and  inspected  four  times  in  the  year  by  two  of  the  members  of  the 
board,  one  of  whom  shall  be  a  legally  qualified  medical  prac- 
titioner; and  at  least  once  yearly  by  the  inspector.  The  visitors 
and  inspector,  when  visiting  any  sanitarium,  are  to  inspect  every 
part  of  it,  and  every  house,  out-house,  place  and  building  com- 
municating with  it,  or  detached  from  it,  and  every  part  of  the 
ground  and  appurtenances  held,  used  or  occupied  therewith,  and 
shall  inquire  whether  any  patient  is  under  restraint,  and  why,  and 
shall  inspect  the  order  and  certificates  for  the  reception  of  every 
patient  who  has  been  received  since  the  last  visit.  Minutes  are 
to  be  made  as  to : 

(a)  The  condition  of  the  sanitarium,  its  furniture,  furnishings 
and  surroundings. 

(b)  The  appearance  of  the  patients,  particularly  noting  if  there 
are  any  marks  of  violence. 

(c)  The  condition  of  the  beds  and  bedding. 

(d)  Whether  the  dietary  is  suitable  and  the  food  service  satis- 
factory. 

(e)  Whether  the  staff  is  sufficient. 

^  Ibid.,  Chap.  296. 


128  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF    THE    INSANE 

(f)  The  number  of  patients  under  restraint  or  in  seclusion, 
with  the  reasons  stated  therefor. 

(g)  Any  irregularity  in  the  order  or  certificate. 

(h)  Whether  the  previous  suggestions,  if  any,  of  the  inspector 
or  visitors  have  been  attended  to. 

(i)  Any  matter  as  to  which  they  deem  it  proper  to  make  obser- 
vations. 

The  visiting  officials  are  also  to  make  inquiries  on  the  following 
points : 

(a)  Whether  divine  service  is  held,  for  what  number  of 
patients,  and  the  effect  thereof. 

(b)  What  occupations  or  amusements  are  provided  for  the 
patients,  and  the  result  thereof. 

(c)  Whether  there  has  been  adopted  any  system  of  non- 
restraint,  and  if  so,  the  result  thereof. 

(d)  The  classification  of  patients. 

(e)  Whether  there  is  any  patient  who  should  be  discharged. 

(f)  Whether  the  building,  its  furniture  and  furnishings  are 
suitable. 

(g)  Whether  the  nurses  are  properly  trained  for  the  work 
in  which  they  are  engaged,  and  how  many  trained  graduate  nurses 
are  employed. 

Coincident  with  the  aforesaid  there  was  passed  a  law  entitled 
"  An  Act  Respecting  Reception  Hospitals  for  the  Insane,"  by 
which  it  was  enacted  that  the  corporation  of  any  city  having  a 
population  of  more  than  100,000  persons  may,  with  the  approval 
of  the  Lieutenant-Governor  in  Council,  establish  and  equip  a 
reception  hospital  for  persons  who  are  insane  and  whose  condition 
renders  it  desirable  that  they  should  be  placed  under  observation 
and  treatment  for  nervous  and  mental  diseases.  Such  hospitals 
are  to  be  placed  under  the  control  of  the  member  of  the  Executive 
Council  charged  for  the  time  being  with  the  administration  of 
the  provincial  hospitals  for  insane,  and  the  Lieutenant-Governor 
in  Council  is  empowered  to  make  regulations  for  their  manage- 
ment and  general  administration.  The  conditions  of  admission 
are  similar-  to  those  prescribed  in  The  Hospitals  for  the  Insane 
Act,  but  when  a  person  alleged  to  be  insane  has  been  apprehended 
under  a  warrant  he  may  be  committed  to  the  hospital  until  the 
question  of  his  sanity  has  been  determined;  if,  after  admission, 


ONTARIO  129 

he  is  found  to  be  not  insane  or  is  unsuitable  for  treatment  in  a 
provincial  hospital  for  the  insane,  he  is  to  be  discharged  into  the 
custody  of  the  person  through  whom  he  was  admitted. 

The  growth  of  the  Ontario  asylum  system  has  been  commen- 
surate with  the  increase  in  the  number  of  its  insane,  owing,  in 
great  measure,  to  the  rapidly  increasing  population  in  this  as  in 
others  parts  of  the  Dominion.  Thus,  according  to  the  census  of 
1901,  Ontario  had  an  insane  and  mentally  defective  population 
of  7552,  while  according  to  that  of  191 1  (the  last  taken)  it 
amounted  to  8831.  Of  the  latter  number,  plus  whatever  increase 
may  have  taken  place  in  the  interval,  the  close  of  the  year  191 3 
showed  6931  under  institutional  care. 

TORONTO   ASYLUM   AND   ITS    BRANCHES. 

That  the  need  of  accommodation  for  the  insane  was  urgent, 
and  that  there  was  no  disposition  on  the  part  of  the  people  to 
await  the  erection  of  an  asylum  proper  ere  this  truly  afflicted 
class  could  be  cared  for,  had  been  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  in 
the  spring  of  the  year  1840  (February  8)  the  House  of  Assembly, 
through  the  Speaker,  Sir  Allan  N.  McNab,  had  presented  an 
address  to  His  Excellency  the  Right  Honorable  Charles  Poulett 
Thomson,  Governor-General  of  British  North  America,  reading 
as  follows : 

May  it  please  Your  Excellency,  we,  Her  Majesty's  dutiful  and  loyal 
subjects,  the  Commons  of  Upper  Canada,  in  Provincial  Parliament  assem- 
bled, humbly  pray  that  Your  Excellency  will  be  pleased  to  direct  that  a 
suitable  building  be  provided  forthwith  as  a  temporary  asylum  for  the 
many  unfortunate  persons  afiflicted  with  lunacy  in  this  province,  and  beg 
leave  to  assure  Your  Excellency  that  this  House  will  make  good  the 
expense  that  may  be  incurred  thereby,  and  in  affording  relief  to  such  sub- 
jects of  distress.^ 

At  the  beginning  of  the  ensuing  year  the  urgency  of  the  case 
was  made  still  more  apparent  when  the  old  York  jail  was  aban- 
doned. Erected  in  1824,  this  was  a  substantial,  two-storied, 
red-brick  structure,  facing  toward  King  Street,  on  the  north  side 
of  which  it  was  situated,  between  Toronto  and  Church  streets." 

^  Journal  of  Legislative  Assembly  of  Upper  Canada,  1839-40,  p.  363. 

*  This  building,  which  stood  at  what  is  the  corner  of  Toronto  and  Court 
streets,  was  never  completely  torn  down,  but  remodelled  into  part  of  the 
York  Chambers  which  now  occupy  its  site. 
10 


130  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

In  its  basement  cells  there  had  been  confined  a  number  of  lunatics. 
It  became  a  question  whether  these  should  be  transferred  with  the 
prisoners  to  the  new  jail  which  had  been  opened  at  the  east  end  of 
the  city. 

The  Hon.  Mr.  Jamieson,  chairman  of  the  board  of  commis- 
sioners for  the  erection  of  a  lunatic  asylum,  took  upon  himself  the 
responsibility  of  advising  the  sheriff  of  the  Home  District,  Mr. 
W.  B.  Jarvis,  to  leave  them  where  they  were,  and  having  secured 
the  building  at  a  rental  of  £125  per  annum,  fitted  it  up  as  a  tempo- 
rary asylum  for  their  use.  This  institution,  which  was  opened 
January  21,  1 841,  by  the  enrolment  of  17  patients,  before  confined 
as  prisoners,  was  the  first  lunatic  asylum  in  the  Province  of 
Ontario.  It  was  placed  in  charge  of  Dr.  William  Rees,  who  had 
long  urged  upon  the  government  the  necessity  for  such  an  estab- 
lishment, and  who,  in  September,  1840,  had  been  nominated  med- 
ical superintendent  of  the  then  proposed,  now  realized,  temporary 
asylum. 

This  action  of  the  chairman  of  commissioners  was  confirmed 
by  the  Lieutenant-Governor,  Sir  George  Arthur,  to  whom,  in 
his  report  made  through  His  Excellency's  secretary,  Mr.  S.  B. 
Harrison,  in  September  of  this  same  year,  Mr.  Jamieson  thus 
details  the  opening  of  the  new  establishment,  and  the  happy  change 
wrought  thereby  in  the  condition  of  the  wretched  prison  lunatics : 

The  necessary  steps  were  taken  as  soon  as  the  prisoners  were  removed 
to  the  new  gaol  to  render  it  fit  for  its  new  purpose.  The  building  was 
cleaned  and  purified,  and  such  repairs,  external  and  internal,  were  made 
and  such  furniture,  clothing,  etc.,  purchased  as  were  indispensable.  The 
patients  (heretofore  confined  as  prisoners)  were  taken  from  the  cells  in 
which  they  were  closely  confined,  and  where  they  had  long,  from  the  dire 
necessity  of  the  case,  been  permitted  to  remain  in  filth  and  nakedness  and 
impure  air,  all  confirming  their  maladies,  and  placed  in  the  now  purified 
and  airy  debtors'  room,  carefully  washed,  clothed  and  placed  under  medical 
care,  their  food  critically  adapted  to  their  physical  state,  and  in  fact  every- 
thing done  which  the  constant  attention  of  a  person  devoted  to  his  purpose 
could  effect  by  the  aid  of  the  very  limited  means  we  could  afford  him. 
The  effect  of  this  new  course  of  life  was  soon  apparent;  many  who  had 
long  been  confined  as  confirmed  lunatics  were  found  laboring  not  under 
mania,  but  under  derangement  arising  from  physical  causes  and  yielding 
to  physical  remedies.  Several  have  completely  recovered  who,  but  for 
this  treatment,  would  probably  never  have  exhibited  another  gleam  of 
reason.  So  much  good  could,  I  am  sure,  never  have  been  effected  by  mere 
occasional  visits  of  a  physician,  however  skilful.    The  state  of  the  asylum 


ONTARIO  131 

and  the  success  with  which  it  has  been  conducted  drew  forth  the  approba- 
tion of  the  grand  jury  who  visited  it  on  the  loth  of  June  last.  Until  the 
institution  be  properly  organized  and  the  means  of  permanent  support 
secured,  it  is  not  possible  to  throw  it  open  for  the  reception  of  all  who 
need  it.  There  has,  however,  been  a  regular  succession  of  new  cases 
admitted,  some  of  which  have  been  successfully  treated  and  the  patients 
discharged.^ 

From  the  same  report  we  learn  that  there  were  admitted  during 
the  first  half  year,  namely,  from  January  21  to  July  31,  7  men  and 
8  women,  who,  with  the  1 1  men  and  6  women  originally  prisoners 
in  the  jail,  made  a  total  of  32  patients  under  treatment.  The  staff 
consisted  of  the  medical  superintendent,  a  steward,  a  housekeeper 
and  two  servants,  assisted  by  four  persons  from  the  district  jail. 
The  total  expense  for  the  period  stated  was  £259  5s.  yd.,  being  an 
average  daily  expenditure  of  is.  5d.  per  patient. 

As  commissioners  for  the  management  of  the  temporary  lunatic 
asylum,  the  Lieutenant-Governor  was  pleased  to  appoint  the  Hon. 
R.  S.  Jamieson,  W.  B.  Jarvis,  Esq.,  W.  C.  Gwynne,  surgeon,  and 
John  Ewart,  Esq.^  These  gentlemen  in  their  first  report,  that  for 
1842,  detailed  their  having  met  at  the  asylum,  and  in  compliance 
with  a  request  of  His  Excellency  framed  a  code  of  rules  for  the 
conduct  of  the  institution  by  the  medical  superintendent  and 
steward,  as  well  as  for  the  guidance  of  the  matron  and  servants 
employed  therein.  They  also  reported  having  examined  the 
steward's  accounts  and  reduced  his  charges  for  the  board  of  each 
patient  from  los.  to  7s.  per  week,  and  that  later  they  had  made 
arrangements  for  the  board  of  the  patients  at  6s.  per  week,* 

In  the  first  report  of  the  medical  superintendent,  appended  to 
that  of  the  commissioners.  Dr.  Rees  expresses  his  behef  in  non- 
restraint,  and  regrets  that  they  have  so  little  room  for  exercise, 
but  says  he  has  made  the  best  use  possible  of  the  yard  and  also  sent 
patients  out  walking  on  the  streets  with  trusted  attendants,  and 
others  to  the  bay  to  fish. 

In  July,  1843,  the  original  commissioners  for  the  management 
of  the  temporary  asylum  were,  in  accordance  with  the  provisions 

^  Journal  of  Legislative  Assembly  of  Canada,  Appendix  LL,  Kingston, 
September  22,  1841. 

^  Canada  Gazette,  December  29,  1841,  p.  196. 

*  Journal  of  Legislative  Assembly  of  Canada,  Appendix  U,  October  4, 
1842. 


132  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

of  the  act  of  1839,  increased  in  number  to  12  by  the  addition  of 
W.  R.  Beaumont,  surgeon ;  William  Cawthra,  Esq. ;  John  East- 
wood, Esq. ;  Rev.  H.  J.  Grasett,  Rev.  J.  J.  Hay,  William  Kelly, 
Esq. ;  Martin  J.  O'Bieme,  Esq.,  and  Rev.  John  Roaf .'' 

The  old  jail,  which  seems  to  have  afforded  accommodation  for 
barely  100  patients,  in  a  few  years  was  found  inadequate  to  meet 
the  demands  for  admission.  Additional  quarters  were  therefore 
sought  elsewhere  in  1846.  The  old  red-brick  Parliament  buildings 
situated  on  Front  Street,  between  Simcoe  and  John  streets,  the 
erection  of  which  had  been  begun  in  1825  (after  those  at  the 
east  end  of  the  town  had  been  destroyed  by  fire  in  1824)  and 
completed  in  1833,  were  then  unoccupied,  having  been  disused  for 
legislative  purposes  since  the  union  of  the  provinces  in  1841.  The 
increased  accommodation  required  was  procured  by  occupying 
for  asylum  purposes  the  east  wing  of  this  structure,  supplemented 
by  a  rough-cast  dwelling-house  with  a  veranda  on  three  sides,  the 
property  of  a  Mr.  Dunn,  which  stood  at  the  southwest  corner  of 
Front  and  Bathurst  streets. 

Up  to  1850,  when  they  were  abandoned,  the  condition  of  these 
temporary  establishments  was  far  from  creditable,  a  fact  in  great 
measure  due  to  the  changes  in  management  which  occurred  with 
startling  rapidity. 

The  cause  of  these  frequent  changes  is  to  be  found  in  differences 
between  the  Board  of  Directors  and  the  superintendents.  Unfor- 
tunately, the  act  authorizing  the  creation  of  an  asylum  had  vested 
the  property  in  the  Board  of  Directors  instead  of  in  the  Crown, 
thus  making  them  almost  independent  of  the  government,  while  at 
the  same  time  it  but  inadequately  defined  the  position  of  the 
superintendent,  whose  powers  were  not  sufficiently  extensive  to 
enable  him  to  enforce  discipline.  The  employees  took  their  orders 
from  the  directors,  by  whom  alone,  according  to  the  terms  of  the 
act,  they  could  be  hired  or  discharged,  rather  than  from  the 
superintendent.  The  natural  result  was  anarchy  and  neglect  of 
the  patients.  As  stated  by  Dr.  Rees,  all  the  difficulties  were  trace- 
able "  to  the  prevailing  system  for  managing  the  servants,  who, 
under  a  common  system  of  favoritism  and  patronage,  were 
selected,  appointed,  retained  and  dismissed  at  the  pleasure  of  the 
commissioners,  without  even  a  decent  regard  to  the  wishes,  opinion 

'  Canada  Gazette,  July  8,  1843,  p.  808. 


ONTARIO  133 

or  objections  of  the  medical  superintendent,  who  was  often  obliged 
to  retain  servants  against  whom  he  had  preferred  frequent  and 
serious  charges."  ^ 

Dr.  Rees  seems  to  have  fought  hard  for  the  necessary  authority 
to  carry  on  the  institution  in  a  proper  manner,  but  the  commis- 
sioners were  too  strong  for  him,  and  on  October  2,  1845,  ^^  was 
dismissed. 

Dr.  Rees  was  succeeded  as  medical  superintendent  by  Dr.  Walter 
Telfer,  a  native  of  Scotland  and  the  holder  of  a  diploma  from  the 
College  of  Surgeons,  Edinburgh.  Dr.  Telfer  had  settled  in 
Niagara  about  1826,  but  in  1835  had  removed  to  Toronto,  where 
he  soon  commanded  a  large  practice.  After  something  over  two 
years'  service  as  superintendent  he  was  charged  with  intoxication 
while  on  duty  and  with  the  appropriation  of  institution  supplies. 
The  evidence  against  him  does  not  seem  to  have  been  at  all  con- 
clusive, but  the  result,  nevertheless,  was  his  dismissal  by  the 
Governor-General  on  April  17,  1848.  Dr.  Telfer's  removal  from 
office  was  the  cause  of  a  great  deal  of  newspaper  controversy, 
but  does  not  seem  in  the  least  to  have  affected  his  standing  in  the 
community  or  profession.  He  again  resumed  practice  in  the  city, 
where  he  was  given  a  place  on  the  staff  of  the  Toronto  General 
Hospital,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1857,  was  an  active 
member  of  the  Upper  Canada  Medical  Board. 

The  next  choice  of  the  commissioners  was  Dr.  George  Hamilton 
Park,  whose  chief  qualification  was  at  the  time  said  to  have  con- 
sisted in  his  being  brother-in-law  to  Dr.  John  Rolph,  then  a  man 
of  much  political  influence.  The  appointment  was  made  May  31, 
1848.  Almost  immediately  there  was  the  same  old  difficulty 
between  the  superintendent  and  the  commissioners,  each  claiming 
supreme  authority  in  the  engagement  and  discharge  of  employees. 
On  one  occasion  Dr.  Park  discharged  an  attendant  for  drunken- 
ness and  insubordination.  The  board  reinstated  him.  Dr.  Park 
immediately  discharged  him  again.  The  board  reinstated  him  a 
second  time.  The  man  was  finally  discharged  for  some  offence 
that  even  the  board  could  not  condone.  On  another  occasion  Dr. 
Park  engaged  an  attendant  and  a  cook.  The  board  dismissed 
them.     In  retaliation  Dr.  Park  suspended  the  steward,  who  had 

^British  American  Medical  and  Physical  Journal,  Montreal,  August, 
1851,  p.  181. 


134  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

been  engaged  by  the  board,  and  intimated  his  intention  to  treat 
all  the  attendants  similarly.  As  a  result  of  this  the  board  resigned, 
but  the  government  refused  to  accept  the  resignation.  At  last  the 
antagonism  reached  such  a  pitch  that  Dr.  Park  threatened  to 
call  in  the  police  to  support  his  authority.  Finally,  on  the  26th 
of  December,  1848,  after  less  than  seven  months'  service,  the  doctor 
was  dismissed.    The  charges  against  him  were : 

1.  He  manifests  a  disposition  to  interfere  in  the  general  affairs  of  the 
institution.    For  example,  he  gives  orders  respecting  the  diet  of  the  servants. 

2.  He  made  arrangements  with  a  merchant  to  supply  a  quantity  of 
blankets. 

3.  He  insisted,  in  defiance  of  the  rules,  that  he  had  a  right  to  be  present 
at  the  meetings  of  the  board.^ 

Dr.  Park  gave  place  to  Dr.  Primrose,  whom  the  board  appointed 
acting  superintendent  only,  so  that,  it  was  currently  reported,  the 
position  of  superintendent  of  the  new  asylum,  then  nearly  com- 
pleted, might  be  kept  open  for  a  Dr.  Scott,  son-in-law  of  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Roaf,  one  of  the  commissioners.  Be  that  as  it  may.  Dr. 
Primrose  retired  at  the  close  of  1849,  after  about  eleven  months' 
service,  in  favor  of  the  aforesaid  Dr.  Scott. 

The  state  of  affairs  with  regard  to  the  patients  under  such 
a  system  of  management  as  we  have  described  could  not  but  have 
been  bad,  and  is  thus  depicted  in  a  brief  history  of  the  asylum  by 
a  one-time  superintendent  of  the  institution.  Quoting  from  a 
report  of  one  of  his  early  predecessors.  Dr.  Daniel  Clark  says : 

When  the  superintendent  first  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  office  he 
found,  as  might  readily  be  supposed  from  what  had  occurred  previous  to 
his  appointment,  the  institution  in  a  very  bad  state.  There  was  not  cloth- 
ing enough  of  any  or  all  kinds  for  a  change ;  there  were  several  patients 
that  had  been  naked  for  several  months,  constantly  confined  in  cells,  or, 
if  quiet,  lying  on  the  floor  of  the  attic  ward — a  place  where  from  60  to  70 
patients  were  constantly  kept  in  a  very  filthy  condition ;  as  they  were  the 
worst  class  of  patients,  they  were  not  let  out  at  all  into  the  yard  or  open 
air.  The  stench  of  this  ward  was  scarcely  bearable  from  the  great  amount 
of  filth  that  had  been  allowed  to  accumulate  in  different  parts  of  it.  The 
other  wards  were  not  quite  so  bad,  but  there  was  no  part  of  the  whole 
establishment  which  was  not  dirty  and  otherwise  badly  attended  to.  There 
were  no  baths  or  proper  arrangements  for  cleaning  the  patients ;  the  cells 
and  sleeping  apartments  were  confined  and  filthy,  the  beds  and  bedsteads 
full  of  vermin ;  the  noisy  and  restless  patients  were  kept  for  days  and 

^Journal  of  Legislative  Assembly  of  Canada,  1849,  Appendix  M,  No.  i. 


ONTARIO  135 

nights  together  locked  in  cells,  as  an  easy  mode  of  getting  rid  of  taking 
care  of  them.  The  keepers  and  servants  were  in  the  habit  of  going  in  and 
out  of  the  asylum  without  permission,  the  clothing  and  other  articles  be- 
longing to  the  institution  had  no  marks  upon  them  by  which  they  could  be 
distinguished  from  other  articles  of  a  similar  kind,  for  the  want  of  which, 
no  doubt,  the  institution  has  suffered  much  loss/ 

Admitting  that  this  statement  may  be  too  highly  colored  as  the 
production  of  one  willing  to  decry  a  predecessor  in  office,  it  yet 
cannot  be  wholly  devoid  of  truth,  and  as  such  presents  a  striking 
picture  of  asylum  management  in  those  days  as  compared  with  the 
present. 

Of  the  medical  treatment  about  the  same  period  we  have  the 
testimony  of  a  disinterested  outsider  in  the  person  of  Mr.  J.  H. 
Tuke,  brother  of  the  eminent  alienist,  the  late  Dr.  D.  Hack  Tuke, 
who,  on  visiting  Toronto  in  1845,  made  the  following  entry  in 
his  diary : 

Toronto,  September  30,  1845. 

Visited  the  lunatic  asylum.  It  is  one  of  the  most  painful  and  distressing 
places  I  ever  visited.  The  house  has  a  terribly  dark  aspect  within  and 
without,  and  was  intended  for  a  prison.  There  were,  perhaps,  70  patients, 
upon  whose  faces  misery,  starvation,  and  suffering  were  indelibly  im- 
pressed. The  doctor  pursues  the  exploded  system  of  constantly  cupping, 
bleeding,  blistering  and  purging  his  patients ;  giving  them  also  the  smallest 
quantity  of  food,  and  that  of  the  poorest  quality.    No  meat  is  allowed. 

The  foreheads  and  necks  of  the  patients  were  nearly  all  scarred  with 
the  marks  of  former  cuppings,  or  were  bandaged  from  the  effects  of  more 
recent  ones.  Many  patients  were  suffering  from  sore  legs,  or  from 
blisters  on  their  back  and  legs.  Everyone  looked  emaciated  and  wretched. 
Strongly  built  men  were  shrunk  to  skeletons,  and  poor  idiots  were  lying 
on  their  beds  motionless  and  as  if  half  dead.  Every  patient  has  his  or  her 
head  shaved.  One  miserable  courtyard  was  the  only  airing  court  for  the 
60  or  70  patients — men  or  women.  The  doctor,  in  response  to  my  questions, 
and  evident  disgust,  persisted  that  his  was  the  only  method  of  treating 
lunatics,  and  boasted  that  he  employs  no  restraint  and  that  his  cures  are 
larger  than  those  in  any  English  or  Continental  asylum.  I  left  the  place 
sickened  with  disgust,  and  could  hardly  sleep  at  night,  as  the  images  of 
the  suffering  patients  kept  floating  before  my  mind's  eye  in  all  the  horrors 
of  the  revolting  scenes  I  had  witnessed.^ 

Luckily,  during  this  early  period  of  squabbling,  mismanage- 
ment and  neglect,  the  erection  of  a  proper  asylum  was  not  alto- 

*  Reports  of  Asylums,  Prisons  and  Public  Charities  of  Ontario,  1878, 
p.  261. 

^  The  Insane  in  the  United  States  and  Canada,  by  Dr.  D.  Hack  Tuke,  p. 
215. 


136  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

gether  lost  sight  of.  Fifty  acres  of  the  Ordnance  Department 
lands  at  the  west  end  of  the  city/  known  as  the  "  Government " 
or  "  Garrison  Common,"  having  been  granted  by  the  home  govern- 
ment for  the  purpose,  a  commission  was  appointed,  September 
24,  1844,  to  superintend  the  erection  of  a  permanent  asylum 
thereon,  after  designs  prepared  by  Mr.  J.  G.  Howard,  architect. 
The  gentlemen  composing  the  commission  were  Hon.  R.  S.  Jamie- 
son,  Mr.  H.  H.  Killaly,  his  worship  the  mayor  of  Toronto,  Dr. 
Christopher  Widmer,  Dr.  John  King,  Mr.  John  Ewart  and  Mr. 
James  Grant  Chewitt."  Subsequently,  in  1845,  Mr.  Henry  Sher- 
wood, Mr.  Wm.  R.  Beaumont,  surgeon,  and  Mr.  W.  B.  Jarvis  were 
added  to  the  number  of  the  commissioners. 

Work  was  begun  June  7,  1845,  ^.nd  on  August  22,  1846,  the 
corner-stone  was  laid  with  imposing  ceremony  by  the  Hon.  John 
Beverly  Robinson,  Chief  Justice  of  the  province,  in  the  presence 
of  the  most  noted  members  of  the  learned  professions,  the  mayor 
and  corporation,  the  various  national  societies,  and  the  inhabitants 
of  the  city  generally." 

The  original  design  for  the  asylum  comprised  a  main  portion 
four  stories  in  height,  with  a  central  portion  of  five  stories,  sur- 
mounted by  a  handsome  dome  40  feet  in  diameter.  Extending 
at  right  angles  from  the  main  building  were  wings,  also  four 
stories  high,  the  whole  forming  three  sides  of  a  parallelogram. 
The  total  length  of  the  main  structure  and  wings  was  1014  feet. 
The  material  employed  in  construction  was  white  brick,  with  cut 
stone  trimmings.  By  January  26,  1850,  the  main  building  was 
sufficiently  advanced  to  admit  of  the  transfer  of  the  patients,  211 
in  number,  from  the  Parliament  buildings,  old  jail  and  Bathurst 

^  In  1870  this  property  was  increased  by  the  purchase  from  the  Dominion 
Government  of  150  acres  adjacent  for  farming  purposes.  Unfortunately, 
however,  this  vv^as  subsequently  taken  from  the  asylum  and  used  as  the 
site  for  the  old  exhibition  buildings.  A  part  of  it  is  now  occupied  by  the 
Central  Prison  and  Mercer  Reformatory.  In  1888  24  of  the  original  50 
acres  were  sold  by  the  government  for  building  lots,  so  that  only  about  30 
acres  remain  attached  to  the  institution,  an  amount  disgracefully  inade- 
quate for  a  population  of  over  700  patients. 

*  Canada  Gazette,  September  24,  1844,  p.  1434. 

•  See  Appendix  A. 


ONTARIO  137 

Street  house.  The  wings  were  not  completed  until  1869  and  1870/ 
This  hasty  removal  was  rendered  imperative  in  the  case  of  the 
first-named  edifice  by  the  fact  that  after  the  burning-  of  the  Parlia- 
ment buildings  at  Montreal  by  a  mob  on  the  night  of  April  25, 
1849,  Lord  Elgin  and  his  ministers  had  decided  that  the  two 
remaining  sessions  of  the  existing  Parliament  should  be  held  in 
Toronto.  The  old  building  was,  therefore,  once  more  required 
for  legislative  purposes,  the  session  having  been  called  for  May 
14,  1850. 

The  official  title  of  the  new  institution  was  "  The  Provincial 
Lunatic  Asylum,"  which  it  retained  until  1871,  when  by  statute  of 
Ontario  it  became  "  The  Asylimi  for  Insane,  Toronto."  ' 

The  first  superintendent  of  the  new  establishment  was  Dr.  John 
Scott,  whose  appointment  dated  from  January,  1850.  As  was 
inevitable  under  the  system  of  management  governing  it,  differ- 
ences between  the  superintendent  and  the  commissioners  soon 
began  to  crop  up.  Within  18  months,  namely,  on  July  2,  1851,  an 
attendant,  John  Copping,  made  a  series  of  charges  against  Dr. 
Scott.  Of  these  the  most  important  were:  That  his  deportment 
was  ungentlemanly ;  that  he  called  the  patients  and  attendants 
such  names  as  "  lazy  brute,"  "  sleepy-head,"  and  "  sloven  " ;  that 
he  spoke  of  Dr.  Widmer,  chairman  of  the  Board,  of  Commis- 
sioners, as  "  an  old  fool,"  and  of  the  matron  as  "  a  peacock  " ;  that 
he  refused  an  attendant  leave  to  see  his  child  when  at  the  point  of 
death ;  that  he  put  patients  on  bread  and  water  for  bad  conduct ; 
that  he  used  a  large  quantity  of  institution  carrots  for  his  horse; 
and  that  he  caused  a  certain  suicidal  patient  to  be  put  alone  into 
a  room  in  which  she  hanged  herself  to  the  bed-post." 

The  charges  were  investigated  by  the  commissioners,  who  re- 
ported that  the  medical  superintendent  was  lacking  in  considera- 
tion to  the  officers  and  servants ;  that  he  was  ill-tempered,  and  that 
he  at  times  made  unbecoming  and  injudicious  remarks.  No  action 
was  taken,  however. 

*  Two  hospitals  to  accommodate  27  patients  each  were  commenced  at  the 
same  time  as  the  wings,  from  which  they  were  distant  about  200  feet. 
These  were  opened  in  1867. 

^  34  Vict.,  Cap.  18. 

*  British  American  Medical  and  Physical  Journal,  Montreal,  August, 
1851,  p.  181. 


138  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

A  few  months  later — November  12 — one  of  the  city  papers 
published  a  startling  announcement  to  the  effect  that  the  Toronto 
Asylum  was  being  converted  into  a  dissecting  room.  A  patient, 
one  George  Andrews,  having  died  at  the  asylum,  the  usual  inquest 
was  held  by  Coroner  Duggan,  and  the  body  coffined  and  sent  to  the 
potter's  field  for  burial.  The  sexton  thinking  the  coffin  light, 
opened  it,  and  found  an  arm,  a  leg  and  the  head  missing.  Two 
days  later,  a  box  was  sent  from  the  asylum  for  interment.  This 
was  found  to  contain  the  parts  wanting.  On  these  a  second  inves- 
tigation was  begun  before  Coroner  King,  at  which  it  was  shown 
that  there  had  already  been  an  inquest  held  on  the  body  to  which 
these  portions  belonged.  Dr.  King,  therefore,  decided  that  a 
second  enquiry  was  unnecessary.*  This  exposure  having  caused 
much  excitement  among  the  citizens,  the  Board  of  Commissioners 
held  a  meeting,  at  which  Dr.  Scott  admitted  that  he  had  removed 
parts  of  the  body  for  anatomical  purposes.  In  consequence  it 
was  moved  that  "  The  medical  superintendent  has,  by  his  conduct 
in  mutilating  the  body  of  a  deceased  patient,  laid  himself  open  to 
the  charge  of  indiscretion  and  want  of  judgment,  and  that  he  be 
and  is  hereby  severely  censured  and  admonished  therefor." 

After  this  the  difficulties  between  the  superintendent  and  com- 
missioners grew  from  bad  to  worse,  and  culminated  in  the  resigna- 
tion of  the  former  in  1852. 

Dr.  Scott  was  succeeded  on  July  i,  1853,  by  Dr.  Joseph  Work- 
man, whose  labors  on  behalf  of  the  insane  will  ever  remain  one  of 
the  brightest  spots  in  the  annals  of  Canadian  asylums.  Dr. 
Workman  accepted  temporary  charge  of  the  asylum  at  the  per- 
sonal solicitation  of  the  Hon.  Dr.  Rolph,  then  president  of  the 
Council  in  the  Hincks-Morin  administration.  His  appointment 
was  made  permanent  on  April  i  of  the  following  year.^ 

Possessed  of  much  energy  and  great  executive  ability,  Dr. 
Workman,  during  his  management  of  Toronto  Asylum,  intro- 
duced many  improvements,  one  of  the  first  of  which  was  a  recon- 
struction of  the  drainage.  On  taking  charge  he  had  found  347 
patients  in  residence,  many  of  whom  had  frequent  attacks  of 
erysipelas,  diarrhoea,  or  dysentery.    Setting  to  work  to  investigate 

*  British  American  Medical  and  Physical  Journal,  Montreal,  December, 
1851,  p.  361. 
'  Canada  Gazette,  1854,  p.  523. 


ONTARIO  -  139 

the  cause,  he  soon  made  the  discovery  that  the  whole  of  the  space 
beneath  the  basement  was  one  foul  and  enormous  cesspool. 
When  this  was  emptied  it  was  found  that,  while  the  basement 
drains  and  main  sewer  were  admirably  constructed,  by  some  over- 
sight no  connection  had  been  made  between  them,  the  result  being 
that  nearly  four  years'  accumulation  of  filth  had  collected  there. 
The  proper  junctions  made,  a  reorganization  of  the  ventilating 
and  water-closet  systems  followed,  and  there  ensued  a  marked 
improvement  in  the  general  health  of  the  household.^ 

In  these  and  other  reforms  Dr.  Workman  was  greatly  aided  by 
the  fact  that,  prior  to  his  assumption  of  office,  there  had  been  a 
radical  and  much-needed  change  in  the  system  of  governing  the 
asylum.  On  June  20,  1853,  the  old  board  of  12  directors  was 
replaced  by  a  visiting  committee,  the  original  members  of  which 
were  George  S.  Tiffany,  Esq.,  of  Hamilton;  Ezekiel  F.  Whitte- 
more,  Esq.,  of  Toronto  ;  John  Simpson,  Esq.,  of  Bowmanville,  and 
William  L.  Perrin,  Esq.,  of  Toronto.^  The  act  authorizing  this 
change  also  vested  the  property  in  the  Crown ;  placed  the  appoint- 
ment of  the  medical  superintendent,  as  well  as  that  of  a  bursar, 
in  the  hands  of  the  government,  and  gave  to  the  superintendent 
power  to  hire  and  dismiss  all  officers  and  servants  other  than 
the  bursar.'  This  new  system  of  control  remained  in  force  up  to 
December,  1859,  when,  under  provision  of  the  Consolidated 
Statutes  of  Canada,  the  visiting  committee  was  superseded  by  the 
appointment  of  a  board  of  five  inspectors  by  the  legislative 
assembly.*  The  first  report  of  this  board  was  made  at  Quebec, 
addressed  to  His  Excellency  Sir  Edmund  Walker  Head,  Bart., 
Governor-General  of  the  British  Provinces  of  North  America.  It 
was  dated  March  16,  i860;  styled  "Preliminary  Report  of  the 
Board  of  Inspectors  of  Asylums,  Prisons,  etc.,"  and  signed  Wol- 
fred  Nelson,  M.  D.,  president ;  J.  C.  Tache,  M.  D.,  D.  M.  Mac- 
donald,  John  Langton  and  E.  A.  Meredith. 

On  taking  up  the  reins  of  government,  Dr.  Workman  had  found 
the  asylum  much  overcrowded,  and  this  overcrowding  was  con- 

* "  A  Description  of  the  Pestilent  Condition  of  the  Toronto  Lunatic 
Asylum  in  1853,"  by  Dr.  Joseph  Workman.  Sanitary  Journal,  Toronto, 
January,  1876. 

'  Canada  Gazette,  September  10,  1853,  p.  1323. 

*  Statutes  of  Canada,  16  Vict.,  Cap.  188. 

*  Statutes  of  Canada,  16  Vict.,  Cap.  no. 


140  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

stantly  increased  by  applications  to  which  he  was  unable  to  refuse 
admission.  In  his  first  annual  report,  therefore,  dated  June  19th, 
1854,  he  complained  that  "  The  asylum,  when  completed  according 
to  the  original  designs,  was  calculated  to  accommodate  suitably 
250  patients.  The  two  wings,  each  as  capacious  as  that  portion  of 
the  house  now  available  in  each  section  of  this  building,  east  and 
west,  for  lodgment  of  lunatics,  have  not  yet  been  erected ;  con- 
sequently 376  patients  are  at  present  crowded  into  one-half  the 
space  originally  intended  to  be  bestowed  upon  250;  or,  in  other 
words,  three  are  thrust  into  the  space  intended  for  one."  ^ 

To  relieve  this  congested  condition,  in  July,  1856,  a  building 
which  had  been  erected  as  the  commencement  of  the  University 
of  King's  College,  about  13  years  previously,  was  converted  into 
a  supplemental  asylum.  The  new  adaptation,  known  as  the  Uni- 
versity Branch,  was  placed  under  the  charge  of  Mr.  Robert  Blair. 
It  was  built  of  white  cut  stone,  and  occupied  a  part  of  the  ground 
on  which  the  new  Parliament  buildings  now  stand,  the  material 
that  composed  it  having  been  used  in  their  construction.  This 
addition  received  about  70  patients,  principally  women,  all  of 
whom  were  transferred  from  the  main  asylum,  and  one  of  the 
medical  officers  of  that  building  visited  it  daily.  It  remained  in 
use  for  a  period  of  13  years  and  was  abandoned  in  October,  1869, 
on  the  opening  of  the  new  female  wing  of  the  parent  establishment. 

The  temporary  relief  from  overcrowding  thus  obtained  was 
soon  exhausted,  and  in  the  summer  of  1859  it  was  decided  by  the 
government  to  convert  the  old  military  barracks  at  Fort  Maiden, 
near  Amherstburg,  into  another  branch  asylum.  With  the  view 
of  effecting  this  object.  Dr.  Andrew  Fisher,  one  of  Dr.  Workman's 
assistants,  was  appointed  medical  superintendent,  with  instructions 
to  have  the  necessary  alterations  and  repairs  effected  in  the  shortest 
possible  time.  Dr.  Fisher,  accompanied  by  20  male  patients  to 
assist  in  making  the  needed  changes,  reached  Fort  Maiden  on  July 
14,  and  by  October  had  so  pushed  forward  the  work  that  he  was 
able  to  receive  another  detachment  of  64  patients  from  the  provin- 
cial asylum ;  and  by  December,  a  third.  The  old  barracks,  which 
had  done  service  as  a  military  post  during  the  troubles  of  1837  and 
up  to  about  1858,  were  large,  two-story  (with  an  attic)  frame 
buildings,  but  ill  adapted  for  asylum  purposes,  inasmuch  as  they 

*  Original  manuscript  report  by  Dr.  Workman. 


ONTARIO  141 

contained  no  single  rooms,  and  all  the  dormitories  opened  into  one 
another.  The  situation,  however,  was  excellent.  The  grounds, 
58  acres  in  extent,  afforded  ample  scope  for  recreation  and  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  and  tbe  outlook  over  the  Detroit  River  was 
unsurpassed.  Maiden  continued  a  branch  of  and  was  fed  from 
Toronto  Asylum  up  to  September  24,  1861,  when,  by  order  of  the 
Governor-General  in  Council,  it  was  made  an  independent  insti- 
tution, and  had  assigned  to  it  as  feeders  the  seven  adjacent 
counties  of  Norfolk,  Oxford,  Middlesex,  Kent,  Elgin,  Essex  and 
Lambton."^  It  continued  under  the  administration  of  its  first 
superintendent  up  to  June,  1868,  when,  fault  having  been  found 
with  his  management,  Dr.  Fisher  resigned,  to  be  succeeded  July 
I  by  Dr.  Henry  Landor. 

The  year  of  the  conversion  of  Maiden  into  an  independent 
establishment  witnessed  the  birth  at  Orillia  of  yet  a  third  child  of 
the  provincial  lunatic  asylum.  This  (the  Orillia  branch)  was 
established  in  a  large  three-story  brick  building,  which,  originally 
designed  for  a  hotel,  but  left  unfinished,  had  been  purchased  in 
1859  for  $16,800  by  the  provinces  of  Canada  and  fitted  up  as  an 
asylum.  It  was  opened  August  13,  1861,  under  the  charge  of  Dr. 
John  Ardagh,  and  continued  in  operation  up  to  November,  1870, 
when  it  was  abandoned  on  the  transfer  of  the  patients  to  a  new 
asylum,  then  opened  at  London.  The  services  of  Dr.  Ardagh 
were  at  this  date  dispensed  with,  there  being  no  longer  an  institu- 
tion for  him.  Intended  for  the  express  purpose  of  housing  chronic 
and  incurable  lunatics,  the  Orillia  asylum  was  absolutely  dependent 
upon  the  Toronto  institution,  whence  all  its  occupants  were  trans- 
ferred with  the  exception  of  about  a  dozen  cases  admitted  direct 
at  various  times  with  the  consent  of  Dr.  Workman. 

For  22  years  Dr.  Workman  devoted  himself  to  the  work  of 
helping  the  most  unfortunate  class  in  the  community,  at  the  end 
of  which  period,  viz.,  on  July  19,  1875,  he  resigned  his  position 
as  superintendent  to  seek  a  well-earned  rest  from  his  useful  but 
arduous  labors.     Such  success  as  he  achieved  can  come  to  few, 

*  Prior  to  this  the  Toronto  Asylum  had  received  patients  from  the  whole 
of  Upper  Canada.  As  now  allocated,  the  Toronto  district  embraces  only 
the  City  of  Toronto  and  the  County  of  York,  but  inasmuch  as  its  asylum 
contains  the  only  state  pay-wards,  these  are  available  for  private  patients 
from  all  sections  of  the  province. 


142  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

and  yet  no  true  man  could  be  jealous  of  the  hig-h  place  that  must 
be  accorded  him,  so  clearly  was  he  entitled  to  his  honors. 

On  the  retirement  of  Dr.  Workman,  Dr.  Benjamin  Workman, 
assistant  superintendent,  retained  charge  for  a  few  weeks  until 
the  arrival  of  Dr.  Charles  Gowan,  who  had  been  an  assistant  in  the 
Worcester  Asylum,  England.  He  then  left  the  asylum  after  an 
honorable  service  which  had  extended  over  a  period  of  19  years. 

Dr.  Gowan  was  a  young  man  of  fine  type  and  broad  education, 
but  had  no  inkling-  of  the  great  differences  existing  between 
methods  in  England  and  Scotland  and  Canada.  He  came  to  the 
country  fully  possessed  of  the  idea  that  he  must  at  once  turn 
the  asylum  topsy-turvy  and  initiate  what  he  believed  were  reforms. 
If  he  had  been  well-advised  he  would  have  quickly  observed  the 
true  condition  of  affairs,  and  when  he  had  learned  that  what  was 
suited  to  Worcester  would  not  answer  in  Canada  he  would  have 
made  an  excellent  administrator,  as  he  possessed  all  the  qualities 
necessary  to  ensure  success.  Then  again  his  troubles  were  greatly 
increased  by  medical  and  other  politicians  who  did  not  wish  to  see 
as  luscious  a  plum  as  the  superintendency  of  the  Toronto  Asylum 
fall  into  the  mouth  of  a  rank  outsider.  Some  members  of  the 
Medical  Council  found,  or  thought  they  found,  a  sound  point  for 
an  attack  on  the  young  superintendent,  by  asserting  that  he  could 
not  become  a  registered  practitioner  in  Ontario  without  passing 
the  Council  examinations.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  law  was  such 
that  Dr.  Gowan  might  have  registered  in  spite  of  the  Council,  but 
he  did  not  find  that  out  and  took  his  persecution,  and  persecuted 
he  undoubtedly  was,  greatly  to  heart.  It  was  not  long  before  he 
gave  evidence  of  deep  depression  and  developed  a  psychosis  that 
nearly  terminated  fatally.  He  retired  after  a  brief  reign,  greatly 
beloved  by  those  who  had  learned  to  respect  him  and  who  bitterly 
resented  the  cruel  treatment  meted  out  to  this  stranger  by  the 
few  wire  pullers  who  had  no  higher  object  to  serve  than  their  own 
selfish  interests. 

On  Dr.  Gowan's  retirement  Dr.  W.  G.  Metcalf,  who  was  assis- 
tant superintendent,  having  followed  Dr.  Benjamin  Workman, 
took  charge  and  held  the  position  of  acting  superintendent  until 
Dr.  Daniel  Clark  was  made  the  head  of  the  institution.  It  was 
always  a  matter  of  regret  among  asylum  men  that  Dr.  ]\Ietcalf 
was  not  given  the  superintendency,  as  he  was  splendidly  qualified 


ONTARIO  *  143 

for  the  post,  having  been  trained  in  psychiatry  by  Dr.  Joseph 
Workman.  His  career  and  tragic  death  will  be  dealt  with  at 
length  under  the  history  of  Kingston  Asylum. 

Dr.  Clark  proved  himself  a  successful  administrator  of  the 
asylum  from  December,  1875,  until  October,  1905,  ruling  its  affairs 
with  wisdom  and  efficiency.  In  the  latter  year  he  retired  to  private 
life,  taking  up  his  residence  in  Toronto,  where  he  remained  until 
his  death,  which  took  place  in  September,  1912. 

The  only  structural  change  of  note  in  the  institution  during  the 
reign  of  Dr.  Clark  was  the  erection  of  a  detached  residence  for 
the  medical  superintendent.  The  occupation  of  this,  in  May,  1878, 
allowed  of  a  reallocation  of  his  previous  official  quarters  in  the 
asylum.  These  were  devoted  to  new  offices  for  himself  and  the 
bursar,  rooms  and  a  general  dining-room  for  the  assistants,  and 
a  spare  room  to  be  kept  for  the  accommodation  of  friends  of 
patients  who  might  be  delayed  overnight  through  unforeseen 
causes.^ 

Dr.  Daniel  Clark  was  followed  as  superintendent  by  Dr.  Charles 
K.  Clarke,  who  had  commenced  his  psychiatric  experiences  in 
Toronto  Asylum  as  a  student  under  Dr.  Joseph  Workman  in  1874, 
and  had  also  served  under  Dr.  Daniel  Clark  until  1880,  when  he 
became  assistant  superintendent  of  Hamilton  Asylum.  Dr. 
Clarke's  career  as  a  superintendent  will  be  dealt  with  more  fully 
under  the  history  of  Rockwood  Asylum,  as  it  was  there  he  made 
his  reputation  and  evolved  the  ideas  which  dominated  his  career 
in  asylum  work.  To  return  to  the  old  Toronto  Asylum  was  in 
many  ways  no  doubt  an  attractive  change,  as  it  opened  up  possi- 
bilities before  only  dreamed  of,  and  he  had  a  warm  affection  for 
the  institution  in  which  he  had  spent  so  many  of  his  boyhood 
days.  He  threw  himself  into  the  work  of  making  the  Toronto 
Asylum  up  to  date  with  his  accustomed  energy,  and,  with  a  strong 
penchant  for  modern  methods,  infused  as  much  life  as  possible 
into  psychiatric  matters  generally.  He  organized  a  training  school 
for  nurses,  developed  a  good  laboratory  and  was  soon  surrounded 
by  a  band  of  young  enthusiasts  who  took  up  the  Kraepelin  methods 
with  avidity  and  developed  a  system  of  history-taking  that  marked 
a  new  era  in  Ontario  methods.    He  advocated  the  building  of  a 

^  Eleventh  annual  report  of  inspectors  of  asylums,  prisons  and  public 
charities  for  the  Province  of  Ontario,  1878. 


144  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

psychiatric  hospital  in  Toronto,  and,  having  enUsted  the  sympathies 
and  backing  of  the  Hon.  W.  A.  Hanna,  Provincial  Secretary,  and 
several  prominent  citizens,  went  in  1907  to  Europe  with  Drs.  E. 
Ryan  and  the  Hon.  Dr.  Willoughby  to  study  methods  in  the 
European  psychiatric  clinics,  notably  those  of  Germany.  The 
results  of  this  trip  are  embodied  in  an  extensive  and  interesting 
report  published  in  January,  1908,^  in  the  Bulletin  which  he  edited. 
The  result  of  this  trip  was  the  inclusion  of  a  large  sum  of  money 
in  the  provincial  estimates  and  for  a  time  it  seemed  as  if  Toronto 
would  have  the  first  psychiatric  clinic  established  in  America. 
Petty  jealousies  and  other  influences  eventually  hardened  the 
hearts  of  the  poHticians,  and  although  Mr.  Hanna  kept  up  his 
interest,  if  not  his  enthusiasm,  it  was  evident  that  the  scheme 
was  doomed  for  the  time  being. 

Dr.  Clarke  was  soon  appointed  professor  of  psychiatry  in  the 
University  of  Toronto,  and  in  1908  was  made  dean  of  the  medical 
faculty,  it  being  felt  that,  not  being  hampered  by  local  entangle- 
ments and  possessing  good  executive  ability,  he  might  guide  this 
body  of  professional  men  without  friction.  Before  many  years 
it  was  evident  that  Dr.  Clarke  was  not  as  optimistic  as  was  ordi- 
narily his  wont  in  regard  to  the  outlook  for  psychiatry  in  Ontario ; 
the  clinic  idea  began  to  be  overshadowed  in  the  Ontario  Cabinet 
by  prison  reform,  and  it  became  apparent  that  he  would  branch 
out  and  act  independently  before  long.  The  opportunity  came 
when  the  trustees  of  the  Toronto  General  Hospital,  who  had 
committed  themselves  to  the  enormous  task  of  erecting  a  700-bed 
institution  on  College  Street,  asked  him  to  become  their  superin- 
tendent. The  fact  that  the  hospital  was  so.  intimately  associated 
with  the  university  evidently  had  its  effect  and  Dr.  Clarke  accepted 
the  appointment  and  resigned  the  superintendency  of  Toronto 
Asylum  on  May  15,  1911.  While  in  charge  of  that  institution  he 
developed  the  scientific  side  of  the  work  with  the  greatest  zeal 
possible,  but,  having  made  sure  that  politicians  would  block  the 
wheels  of  progress  in  spite  of  all  his  endeavors,  felt  certain  that 
he  could  be  of  more  assistance  to  the  cause  of  psychiatry  outside 
the  service  than  in  it,  so  no  surprise  was  felt  when  he  resigned. 

A  successor  to  Dr.  Clarke  was  found  in  the  person  of  Dr.  J.  M. 
Forster,  a  graduate  in   1886  of  Toronto  University,  who  still 

^Bulletin  of  the  Toronto  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  January,  1908. 


ONTARIO  145 

holds  office.  Dr.  Forster,  who  had  been  trained  in  several  of  the 
Ontario  asylums,  and  who,  after  many  years'  service,  had  been 
rewarded  by  a  well-merited  promotion  from  the  assistant  super- 
intendentship  of  London  to  the  superintendency  of  Brockville 
Asylum,  took  charge  of  the  establishment  on  May  16,  191 1. 
Fortunately,  he  is  an  enthusiastic,  experienced  and  capable  admin- 
istrator, because  upon  him  has  been  thrown  the  grave  responsi- 
bility of  directing  the  affairs  of  what  virtually  amounts  to  three 
hospitals  at  the  same  time.  Shortly  after  his  appointment  the 
government  decided  to  sell  the  Toronto  Asylum  property  and 
to  build  a  modern  hospital  at  Whitby,  so  that  Dr.  Forster  has  at 
the  present  date  the  task  of  governing  Toronto  Hospital,  a  wing 
of  the  Mercer  Reformatory,  officially  known  as  the  King  Street 
Branch  of  the  Toronto  Asylum,^  and  a  colony  at  Whitby.  In 
addition,  he  acts  in  an  advisory  capacity,  from  a  medical  stand- 
point, in  the  construction  of  the  Whitby  institution.  He  has, 
however,  won  his  spurs,  and  when  the  last-named  establishment 
is  completed,  will  have  an  opportunity  to  develop  what  should  be 
one  of  the  model  mental  hospitals  of  the  Continent. 

A  pleasing  feature  associated  with  Dr.  Forster's  induction  into 
office  was  the  opening  of  a  nurses'  home  in  the  remodeled  residence 
formerly  occupied  by  the  medical  superintendent,  the  new  incum- 
bent having  been  provided  with  quarters  in  the  city  pending  the 
completion  of  the  Whitby  establishment.  The  accommodation 
which  had  been  taken  up  by  nurses  was  devoted  to  patients.  The 
home,  which  has  a  capacity  of  30  and  is  admirably  adapted  for 
the  purpose,  was  opened  on  July  26,  191 1. 

The  present  capacity  of  Toronto  Hospital  is  1000,  viz.,  500 
men  and  500  women,  while  the  population  at  the  end  of  the  last 
official  year,  October  31,  1914,  was  1045,  made  up  of  501  men  and 
544  women. 

As  the  last  days  of  the  old  Toronto  Asylum  approach  it  is  felt 
that  one  of  the  most  important  of  the  Canadian  insane  institutions, 
historically,  is  about  to  disappear,  and  though  this  account  but  in- 

^  In  Dr.  Clarke's  time  the  west  wing  of  the  Mercer  Reformatory  was 
emptied  of  some  wayward  girls,  taken  over  by  the  Toronto  Asylum,  and 
a  transfer  made  to  it  of  130  patients  from  the  parent  institution.  It  is 
used  only  for  the  cottage  class  of  patients,  and  these,  when  the  Whitby 
hospital  is  opened,  will  all  be  removed  there. 


146  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

dicates  in  a  brief  way  some  of  the  incidents  of  the  good  work  it 
accompHshed,  none  the  less  we  say  that  its  name  will  always  have 
a  prominent  place  in  the  history  of  psychiatry  in  Canada. 

RECEPTION  HOSPITAL. 
Toronto. 

As  has  been  recorded  in  the  history  of  Toronto  Asylum,  the 
Ontario  Government,  inspired  by  Mr.  W.  J.  Hanna,  in  1907  sent 
a  commission  composed  of  the  Hon.  Dr.  Willoughby,  Dr.  C.  K. 
Clarke,  and  Dr.  Edward  Ryan  abroad  to  study  the  psychiatric 
hospitals  of  the  old  world,  particularly  Germany,  especial  atten- 
tion being  given  to  the  Munich  Clinic  under  Professor  Kraepelin 
and  Professor  Alzheimer.  The  findings  of  this  committee  are 
recorded  in  an  elaborate  and  interesting  report  published  in  1908. 
As  a  result  of  this  publication  the  Provincial  Legislature  de- 
termined to  erect  a  psychiatric  clinic  in  Toronto.  Architects  were 
consulted  and  an  appropriation  of  $100,000  passed  in  order  to 
make  a  commencement.  The  idea  was  to  build  this  clinic  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  magnificent  new  Toronto  General  Hospital, 
in  order  that  university  students  would  find  it  easily  accessible 
and  so  that  an  intimate  connection  between  it  and  the  hospital 
might  be  maintained.  Everything  pointed  to  a  successful  issue  of 
this  scheme.  Difficulties  arose,  however,  over  a  suitable  site  ;  petty 
jealousies  developed  among  asylum  men  outside  of  Toronto,  and 
a  good  deal  of  unfair  and  small-minded  criticism  was  indulged 
in  by  those  who  did  not  understand  the  problem.  Consequently 
Canada  lost  its  opportunity  to  make  the  first  really  great  advance 
in  psychiatry  in  America.  To  the  United  States,  therefore,  goes  a 
credit  which  should  have  been  earned  by  Ontario. 

In  the  meanwhile  the  population  of  Toronto  was  growing  with 
phenomenal  rapidity  and  the  asylum  was  found  to  be  totally 
inadequate  to  meet  the  demands  for  room.  The  gaol  was  rarely 
without  40  to  60  insane  inmates,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  law 
specially  insisted  that  gaols  should  not  be  used  for  the  detention 
of  such  persons.  Even  as  long  suffering  and  indififerent  a  public 
as  that  of  Toronto  eventually  protested  against  the  abuse,  and, 
after  several  half-hearted  efforts  to  remedy  the  evil  had  failed, 
Dr.  R.  W.  Bruce  Smith,  inspector  of  hospitals,  who  had  always 


ONTARIO  147 

been  a  warm  advocate  of  the  psychiatric  cHnic,  introduced  an 
influential  deputation  of  city  officials  and  prominent  citizens  to  the 
Hon,  W.  J.  Hanna.  This  was  done  with  the  idea  of  finding  tem- 
porary accommodation  for  such  a  clinic  in  part  of  the  old  Toronto 
General  Hospital  on  Spruce  Street,  which  had  been  vacated.  The 
outcome  of  the  interview  was  the  establishment  on  July  9,  1914, 
of  a  reception  hospital  in  what  was  formerly  known  as  the  gynaeco- 
logical pavilion  of  that  institution.  This  furnishes  accommodation 
for  42  patients.  It  is  really  a  clearing  house,  where  the  mental 
status  of  numerous  patients  brought  to  it  is  determined  and  the 
proper  disposition  of  them  made.  It  does  away  with  the  dis- 
graceful gaol  system  and  to  a  great  extent  accomplishes  a  good 
work.  Dr.  Harvey  Clare,  assistant  superintendent  of  Toronto 
Asylum,  who  has  had  a  broad  psychiatric  experience,  was  ap- 
pointed medical  director  of  this  important  branch. 

KINGSTON  ASYLUM. 

Kingston  Asylum,  the  official  title  of  which  is  now  "  The  Hospi- 
tal for  Insane,  Kingston,"  although  it  is  generally  known  as 
"  Rockwood  Hospital,"  was  the  second  asylum  born  in  the  Prov- 
ince of  Ontario. 

In  1841  John  S.  Cartwright,  Esq.,  member  for  Lennox  and 
Addington  in  the  first  Parliament  after  the  union  of  the  Canadas, 
built  for  himself  a  fine  stone  mansion,  with  very  handsome  stables, 
also  of  stone,  about  100  yards  therefrom."^  These  structures  were 
erected  on  the  Cartwright  estate  known  as  "  Rockwood,"  a  tract 
of  about  40  acres  on  the  lake  shore,  a  little  to  the  west  of  the  City 
of  Kingston.  In  October,  1856,  33  acres  of  this  estate,  including 
the  buildings,  were  purchased  by  the  Crown  as  a  site  for  a 
criminal  lunatic  asylum,  the  price  paid  being  £5000.     After  the 

^ "  Oh,  would  to  God !  that  I  were  able 
To  build  a  house  like  Cartwright's  stable. 
It  fills  my  heart  with  great  remorse 
To  be  worse  housed  than  Cartwright's  horse." 
The  above  doggerel  regarding  these  stables  was  current  at  the  time  of 
their  erection.    It  has  been  ascribed  to  several,  but  was  probably  the  ex- 
temporaneous production  of  a  Colonel  Jackson,  who  lived  in  a  cottage  on 
the  Jackson  estate  directly  east  of   Rockwood.    This  estate  was   subse- 
quently added  to  the  Rockwood  property. 


148  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

purchase  had  been  completed,  the  stables  were  fitted  up  for  the 
reception  of  24  female  patients,  the  male  patients  having  been 
already  located  in  the  basement  of  the  penitentiary.  This  substi- 
tute for  an  asylum  was  arranged  with  single  rooms  for  20  inmates, 
while  a  wooden  addition  made  thereto  comprised  "  four  strong 
cells,"  a  "  keeper's  room  "  and  a  dining  room,  beyond  which  again 
was  a  kitchen.  The  size  of  the  single  rooms  was  9  feet  by  5  feet. 
They  were  lighted  by  miserable  little  barred  peep-holes,  measuring 
only  18  inches  by  12  inches.  The  entrance  was  on  the  west  side, 
and  a  small  hallway  was  used  as  an  office.  Dr.  J.  P.  Litchfield, 
who  had  formerly  been  inspector  of  hospitals  for  South  Australia, 
and  later,  medical  superintendent  of  Walker  Lunatic  Asylum,  had 
charge  of  the  patients  both  here  and  at  the  penitentiary,  his 
appointment  dating  from  March,  1855.  He  had  his  private  resi- 
dence in  the  Cartwright  mansion,  where  there  also  dwelt  under 
his  immediate  supervision  a  well-to-do  gentleman  of  unsound 
mind.  Close  by  was  a  small  stone  cottage  of  still  earlier  construc- 
tion, the  home  of  one  of  the  members  of  the  Cartwright  family, 
which  at  a  later  date  was  acquired  by  the  hospital. 

The  three  structures  referred  to  are  still  in  existence,  and  form 
parts  of  the  present  Kingston  Asylum.  The  old  stables  have 
reverted  to  their  original  use ;  the  small  stone  house  is  the  north 
cottage,  occupied  by  quiet  female  patients,  and  the  new  residence 
of  the  Cartwright  family  is  the  dwelling  of  the  medical  super- 
intendent. 

Three  years  after  the  opening  of  the  institution,  namely,  Sep- 
tember, 1859,  t^^  erection  of  the  present  asylum  was  begun.  Like 
its  progenitor,  it  was  intended  for  insane  criminals  and  dangerous 
lunatics  only,  as  indicated  by  the  following  memorandum  of  the 
board  of  inspectors :  "  The  Criminal  Lunatic  Asylum  at  Rock- 
wood  (which  is  the  name  given  it  by  law)  is  destined  to  receive 
lunatics  from  the  Provincial  Penitentiary  and  lunatics  who  are 
dangerous,  or  reputed  so  to  be.  At  present  the  male  lunatics  of 
this  institution  are  located  in  a  basement  of  the  penitentiary 
buildings,  and  the  females  in  an  old  building  on  the  Rockwood 
property,"  ^  that  is,  in  the  stable  building  already  described. 

From  the  provisions  of  the  act  constituting  the  institution* 

*  Report  of  the  Board  of  Inspectors  of  Asylums,  Prisons,  etc.,  for  i860, 
p.  12, 

*  Consolidated  Statutes  of  Canada,  Chap.  109. 


OXTARIO  149 

we  find  that  the  exact  purpose  of  the  estabhshment  was  the  safe- 
keepmg"  and  treatment  of  the  following  classes  of  lunatics : 

1.  Convicts  in  the  penitentiary  becoming"  insane  while  under 
sentence  there. 

2.  Certain  classes  of  lunatics  committed  to  jail  as  lunatics 
dangerous  to  be  at  large. 

3.  Persons  charged  with  some  oftence  of  which  they  had  been 
acquitted  on  the  ground  that  they  were  insane  at  the  time  such 
ottence  was  committed. 

4.  Persons  indicted  for  any  olience.  and  upon  arraignment 
thereof  found,  by  a  jur\-  specially  impanelled  for  the  purpose,  to 
be  insane. 

The  new  building  was  planned  by  ]\Ir.  \\'illiam  Coverdale. 
architect,  and  erected  chieily  by  com-ict  labor,  imder  his  super- 
intendence, occupying  over  eight  years  in  construction.  The 
center  building  and  east  wing  were  the  portions  first  built.  In 
1S62  a  part  of  tlie  fonner  was  sufficiently  advanced  to  admit  of 
its  being  temporarily  fitted  up  for  the  reception  of  21  men.  whose 
removal  from  the  basement  of  the  penitentiary  greatly  relieved 
the  presstire  there.  On  ]\Iarch  24.  1S65.  the  building  was  formally 
opened  by  the  transfer  to  it  of  the  rest  of  the  male  patients.  By 
the  end  of  1S67  the  west  wing  for  women  was  virtually  completed, 
although  not  opened  until  early  in  iSo-S.  when  the  stable-asyltun 
was  vacated.  The  asylimi  was  constructed  of  coursed  cut  stone 
from  the  penitentian.-  quarries.  It  comprised  a  central  building 
four  stories  high  with  two  wings,  also  of  four  stories,  joined  to 
the  central  block  by  connecting  portions  three  stories  in  height, 
tlie  total  frontage  being  310  feet.  It  was  continued  imder  the 
superintendence  of  Dr.  Litchfield  tip  to  his  death,  December  18, 
1868,  when  Dr.  J.  R.  Dickson,  surgeon  of  the  penitentiar\'.  and  a 
graduate  in  medicine  from  the  University  of  New  York,  who  had 
been  doing  Dr.  Litchfield's  work  during  his  illness,  was  appointed 
to  the  position. 

Rockwood.  as  already  stated,  was  intended  for  insane  criminals 
and  tlie  criminal  insane  only,  but  the  Toronto  Asylum  being  fuU, 
friends,  in  their  anxiet\-  to  have  insane  relatives  placed  in  safe- 
keeping, perhaps  also  with  the  object  of  saving  themselves  the  cost 
of  transport  to  that  institution,  soon  found  a  means  to  evade  the 
law.  which  but  inadequately  safeguarded  tlie  real  purpose  of  the 


150  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

establishment.  The  process  of  evasion  was  simply  to  have  the 
poor  lunatic  committed  to  jail  as  dangerous,  whether  really  so  or 
not.  To  prevent  this  abuse  we  find  the  inspectors,  as  early  as 
1862,  recommending,  in  the  following  terms,  that  Rock  wood 
should  be  used  as  a  general  as  well  as  a  criminal  asylum : 

The  inspectors  have  to  remark,  with  relation  to  Rockwood,  that  practi- 
cally it  has  become  an  asylum  for  lunatics  of  every  description  from  the 
eastern  portion  of  Upper  Canada,  as  the  relatives  of  the  parties,  instead 
of  obtaining  the  usual  medical  examination  and  certificate  privately,  in 
order  to  procure  their  admission  into  the  provincial  asylum  at  Toronto, 
which  is  at  a  great  distance,  procure  their  incarceration  as  dangerous  luna- 
tics in  a  common  jail,  from  which  they  are  transferred,  under  warrant  of 
His  Excellency,  to  the  Rockwood  institution.  The  board  are  inclined  to 
recommend  that  regulations  should  be  made  authorizing  their  reception 
at  Rockwood  after  the  buildings  shall  have  been  completely  finished,  with- 
out obliging  their  relatives  to  resort  to  a  previous  imprisonment  in  a  jail; 
to  convert,  in  fact,  Rockwood  into  a  provincial  asylum  for  the  eastern 
counties  of  Upper  Canada.^ 

After  the  opening  of  the  new  institution  they  again  recom- 
mended this  course  in  even  stronger  terms.  At  the  same  time 
they  advised  that  the  old  stable-asylum,  which  had  been  abandoned, 
should  be  converted  into  an  establishment  for  female  private 
patients,  and  the  Cartwright  mansion,  used  as  the  superintendent's 
residence,  into  one  for  male  private  patients,  that  officer  to  be 
given  the  north  cottage  to  live  in.  These  suggestions  were  never 
carried  into  effect. 

At  Confederation,  the  Board  of  Inspectors  of  Asylums,  Prisons, 
etc.,  became  the  directors  of  penitentiaries,  and  the  asylums  and 
jails  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  provincial  government,  with 
the  exception  of  Rockwood,  which,  as  a  part  of  the  penitentiary, 
remained  under  Dominion  supvervision.* 

By  this  time  lack  of  accommodation  in  the  provincial  asylum 
at  Toronto  had  made  it  necessary,  especially  in  the  western 
district,  to  send  many  of  the  insane  to  the  common  jails  for  safe- 
keeping, where  they  soon  became  so  numerous  that  it  was  abso- 
lutely requisite  to  take  immediate  steps  to  remedy  the  evil. 
Negotiations  were  accordingly  entered  into  with  the  Dominion 
Government  whereby,  in  1868,  the  "  Act  Respecting  a  Lunatic 
Asylum  for  Criminal  Convicts  "  was  repealed,  and  arrangements 

*  Report  of  Board  of  Inspectors  of  Asylums,  Prisons,  etc.,  for  1862,  p.  13. 
'31  Vict.,  Cap.  75. 


ROCKWOOD  HOSPITAL,   KINGSTON,  ONT.,    1862. 


W 


ONTARIO  151 

concluded  for  the  reception  of  100  to  150  of  these  poor  creatures 
into  Rockwood  asylum,  it  being  distinctly  understood  with  the 
authorities  of  that  institution  that  all  insane  persons  thus  sent 
from  the  jails  of  the  province  would  be  kept  entirely  separate 
from  the  criminal  portion  of  the  population.  The  rate  of  main- 
tenance was  fixed  at  $143  per  annum,  and  permission  was  given 
the  inspector  of  Ontario  institutions  to  visit,  unofficially,  for  the 
purpose  of  seeing  the  patients  sent  in  and  paid  for  by  that  province. 
This,  as  pointed  out  by  the  inspector,  was  practically  the  ''  farming 
out "  system  of  maintaining  lunatics,  and  that,  too,  without  the 
supervision  of  the  government  paying  for  such  maintenance."^  To 
abrogate  this  the  Legislative  Assembly  in  1871  adopted  a  resolu- 
tion affirming  the  advisability  of  the  province's  acquiring  Rock- 
wood  asylum,  either  by  purchase  or  lease.  A  corresponding  reso- 
lution passed  the  Dominion  Parliament  authorizing  negotiations 
for  its  transfer  to  the  province.  It  was  not,  however,  until  July 
I,  1877,  that  the  Ontario  government  took  possession  of  Rock- 
wood,  purchasing  the  buildings  and  grounds  for  $96,500.  As  soon 
as  the  property  was  handed  over  by  the  Dominion  authorities,  the 
insane  convicts  of  unexpired  sentence  then  in  the  asylum,  22  in 
number,  were  transferred  to  the  penitentiary,  where  a  special 
detached  building  has  since  been  provided  for  this  class  of 
patients.  Dr.  Dickson,  who  had  earnestly  advocated  the  change, 
was  retained  as  superintendent  of  the  new  provincial  establish- 
ment, the  name  of  which  was  changed  from  Rockwood  Asylum 
to  "  The  Asylum  for  Insane,  Kingston." ' 

On  the  1st  of  April,  1878,  owing  to  the  serious  illness  of  Dr. 
Dickson,  Dr.  W.  G.  Metcalf,  assistant  superintendent  at  London 
Asylum,  was  transferred  to  Kingston  as  acting  medical  superinten- 
dent, his  appointment  being  made  permanent  after  the  resignation 
of  Dr.  Dickson  on  the  31st  of  December  following. 

Dr.  Metcalf  was  a  man  of  great  promise  and  had  received 
from  his  mentor.  Dr.  Joseph  Workman,  the  inspiration  that  came 
to  every  young  man  who  was  fortunate  enough  to  live  under  his 

^Report  of  Asylums,  Prisons  and  Public  Charities  of  Ontario  for  1872, 
p.  28. 

^  One  of  the  articles  of  agreement  under  which  Rockwood  passed  into 
the  hands  of  the  provincial  government  was  that  it  should  continue  to 
receive  all  convicts  sent  to  the  penitentiary  from  Ontario,  if  insane  on  the 
expiration  of  their  sentences. 


152  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

influence  and  instruction.  The  task  at  the  Kingston  Asylum  was 
not  an  easy  one,  as  the  Rockwood  traditions  lingered  for  many 
years  after  the  institution  had  been  changed  from  a  criminal 
asylum  to  a  modern  hospital  for  the  insane.  Dr.  Dickson  had 
done  his  work  well,  but,  without  adequate  assistance  and  re- 
sources, could  not  accomplish  the  impossible.  It  was  difficult 
to  get  away  from  the  fact  that  the  asylum  had  been  a  refuge  for 
criminals.  The  walls  of  the  corridors  and  rooms  were  white- 
washed, the  wards  were  cheerless,  the  dining  rooms  devoid  of 
proper  linen  and  furnishings,  restraint  was  far  too  common  and 
conditions  generally  dispiriting.  The  building,  however,  had 
been  very  carefully  and  cleverly  planned,  and  without  doubt,  even 
at  the  present  day,  Rockwood  Hospital  is  by  far  the  best  arranged 
of  any  of  the  public  asylums  in  Ontario.  The  grounds  which  had 
been  thoughtfully  developed  by  Dr.  Dickson  had  wonderful  pos- 
sibilities, and,  as  the  Cartwright  and  Sampson  families  had  pre- 
served the  natural  beauties  of  this  paradise,  it  was  not  difficult 
to  develop  the  situation  to  the  ideal  standpoint.  Dr.  Metcalf  at 
first  labored  under  great  disadvantages ;  the  staff  was  small,  and 
he  had  nearly  the  whole  of  the  responsibility  of  management  on 
his  shoulders,  both  in  the  executive  and  medical  departments.  He 
energetically  undertook  many  improvements  though,  and  when 
Dr.  C.  K.  Clarke  was  sent  to  him  as  an  assistant  in  March,  1882, 
the  way  was  clear  to  advance  rapidly.  These  men  were  old 
friends,  who  had  been  trained  in  the  same  psychiatric  school ;  both 
were  possessed  of  unlimited  enthusiasm  and  determined  to  make 
the  hospital  a  credit  to  the  province.  The  object  lessons  in  the 
way  of  the  evils  of  restraint  were  only  too  apparent  at  Rockwood 
and  the  old  cells  in  the  attic  and  basement  were  landmarks  that 
were  an  unpleasant  reminder  of  evil  days.  At  this  time,  too.  Dr. 
Bucke  was  carrying  on  his  non-restraint  crusade  and  Dr.  Metcalf, 
although  not  convinced,  felt  that  at  least  a  fair  trial  of  the  system 
should  be  made.  Against  the  strenuous  opposition  of  the  nurses 
and  attendants,  restraint  was  gradually  abolished  and  never 
again  during  either  Dr.  Metcalf's  or  Dr.  Clarke's  reign  was  it 
used  in  Rockwood  Hospital.* 

*  Dr.  Metcalf,  on  his  advent  to  Kingston  Asylum,  had  found  restraint  so 
largely  employed  that  the  number  of  cases  represented  nearly  10  per  cent 
of  the  entire  population.  Vide  Report  of  Asylums,  Prisons  and  Public 
Charities  for  1878,  p.  39- 


ONTARIO  153 

Dr.  Metcalf  was  a  wise  and  cautious  administrator  and  planned 
many  reforms  in  management,  and  when  he  came  to  his  untimely- 
end  had  succeeded  in  placing  his  institution  on  a  sound  and  healthy- 
basis. 

On  August  12,  1885,  his  assistant,  Dr.  C.  K.  Clarke,  determined 
not  to  be  under  the  necessity  of  asking  for  advancement  through 
political  influence,  placed  his  resignation  in  Dr.  Metcalf's  hands, 
with  the  intention  of  beginning  practice  in  Hamilton.  This  resig- 
nation was  forwarded  to  Toronto,  covered  by  the  last  official 
letter  written  by  Dr.  Metcalf.  On  the  following  day  Drs.  Metcalf 
and  Clarke  were  making  their  rounds  and  while  passing  through 
one  of  the  buildings  were  suddenly  attacked  by  Patrick  Maloney, 
a  tramp  who  had  been  committed  to  the  institution  a  few  months 
before.  He  was  supposed  to  be  harmless,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact 
was  full  of  paranoid  ideas  of  persecution.  Maloney  had  impro- 
vised a  formidable  knife  and  as  Dr.  Metcalf  happened  to  be  nearest 
him  he  received  the  brunt  of  the  first  attack  and  was  fatally 
stabbed.  Maloney  endeavored  to  kill  Dr.  Clarke  also,  but  proved 
unequal  to  the  task.  Dr.  Metcalf  lingered  in  great  pain  for  three 
days,  but  never  rallied  from  the  shock  and  died  on  August  16, 
1885.  His  loss  to  the  service  was  a  serious  one,  as  for  the  first 
time  in  the  history  of  the  province  an  assistant  had  been  promoted 
from  the  ranks  and  was  proving  that  this  method  was  the  proper 
one  for  the  government  to  adopt.  Dr.  Metcalf  was  a  man  who  was 
maturing  slowly  but  steadily,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  his 
ideals  would  have  led  him  to  a  brilliant  success  had  he  been  spared. 
The  Kingston  tragedy  made  a  great  impression  on  the  public. 
For  the  moment  politics  were  forgotten,  and  Dr.  Clarke,  who  had 
resigned  the  position  of  assistant,  as  has  already  been  stated,  was 
at  once  offered  the  superintendency.  This  was  a  most  unusual 
proceeding,  since  political  preferment  was  the  rule  and  the  new 
nominee  to  office  was  bitterly  opposed  to  all  such  advancement. 
Dr.  Clarke's  ambitions  led  him  in  the  other  direction,  but  the  tragic 
conditions  surrounding  Dr.  Metcalf's  death,  and  the  fact  that  the 
institution  would  be  without  an  officer  who  knew  the  patients  and 
the  details  of  the  work, .  determined  him  in  accepting  the  position 
offered.  The  circumstances  were  out  of  the  ordinary  and  he  felt 
in  honor  bound  to  stand  by  the  ship  at  the  particular  moment. 


154  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE  OF   THE   INSANE 

When  Dr.  Clarke  assumed  charge  of  Rockwood  he  brought  all 
the  enthusiasm  of  youth  and  an  optimistic  disposition  to  bear  on 
the  situation,  and,  after  a  visit  to  Pontiac  Asylum  in  Michigan, 
which  impressed  him  greatly,  proceeded  quietly  to  place  the 
institution  on  the  most  modem  footing  possible.  Recognizing 
the  fact  that  non-restraint  could  only  be  accomplished  by  intelligent 
means,  he  instituted  industries  of  all  kinds,  such  as  coir  mat 
making,  brush  making,  broom  making  and  many  other  innovations 
of  this  kind ;  indeed  for  a  time  the  Rockwood  Hospital  led  in  such 
things.  Of  course  the  Knights  of  Labor  complained  bitterly  of 
the  competition,  with  the  result  that  the  politicians  interfered  and 
some  of  the  thriving  industries  were  destroyed.  However,  it  had 
been  fairly  demonstrated  that  occupation  was  the  inevitable  accom- 
paniment of  non-restraint,  and  all  sorts  of  ambitious  schemes 
were  forwarded.  Airing  courts  were  done  away  with,  the  walls 
torn  down  and  all  jail-like  conditions  changed.  This  was  very 
necessary  in  Rockwood,  as  the  criminal  asylum  traditions  lingered 
in  spite  of  all  efforts  to  destroy  them.  Then  again  the  warrant 
system,  an  abomination  at  the  best,  persisted  in  the  East.  The 
great  majority  of  patients  came  through  the  gaols  and  the  physi- 
cians and  people  of  the  district  were  wedded  to  it,  as  it  saved  them 
an  infinite  amount  of  trouble  and  was  a  cheap  and  easy  method  of 
transferring  private  burdens  to  the  broad  back  of  the  state.  The 
new  superintendent  took  a  firm  stand  against  the  abuse  of  the 
warrant  system  and  eventually  succeeded  in  having  it  largely 
done  away  with. 

By  November,  1885,  the  hospital  had  become  so  overcrowded 
that  a  large,  old  stone  building  in  the  City  of  Kingston,  originally 
erected  as  a  Roman  Catholic  seminary  and  known  as  Regiopolis 
College,  was  rented,  renovated  and  occupied  by  150  patients  of  the 
chronic  class,  quiet  and  harmless.  It  remained  in  use  until  Feb- 
ruary, 1891,  when  the  opening  of  a  new  institution  at  Mimico 
allowed  it  to  be  dispensed  with.* 

In  1885-86  an  addition  was  made  to  the  rear  extension  of  the 
main  asylum.  This  provided  beds  for  65  patients,  and  in  it  was 
located  a  new  amusement  hall,  72  x  42  feet,  christened  "  O'Reilly 
Hall "  in  honor  of  the  then  inspector,  Dr.  W.  T.  O'Reilly. 

*At  the  present  date  this  building,  after  being  extensively  added  to,  is 
used  as  a  hospital,  and  called  "  The  Hotel  Dieu." 


ONTARIO  155 

In  1896  another  addition  for  men  was  made  to  the  east  wing 
of  the  main  building,  and  a  similar  addition  to  the  west  wing  for 
women  was  asked  for  by  Dr.  Clarke/  The  latter,  however,  has 
never  been  made. 

The  superintendency  of  Dr.  Clarke  was  marked  by  great  prog- 
ress. A  separate  hospital,  "  Beechgrove,"  properly  equipped  and 
furnished  for  individual  treatment,  was  put  up,  largely  through 
the  efforts  of  the  patients,  who  quarried  all  of  the  stone  and  did 
practically  all  of  the  labor  in  connection  with  its  erection.  This 
was  a  part  of  an  ambitious  scheme  to  train  nurses,  and  the  Rock- 
wood  school  was  one  of  the  first  group  of  seven  established  in 
America.  The  result  of  the  training  school  methods  was  immedi- 
ately apparent ;  women  of  high  type  undertook  the  training  and  the 
transition  in  the  wards  was  most  striking.  The  superintendent  had 
always  opposed  the  so-called  refractory  wards  and  insisted  that  the 
majority  of  patients  could  be  induced  to  conduct  themselves  with 
some  degree  of  propriety  if  surrounded  by  comforts  and  humaniz- 
ing influences.  He  objected,  too,  to  the  crowding  of  large  num- 
bers of  patients  in  sitting  rooms,  where,  for  want  of  occupation, 
they  became  so  many  automata  rather  than  human  beings.  The 
spirit  of  scientific  investigation  was  inculcated  in  the  staff  and 
the  hospital  idea  carefully  developed  in  every  direction.  Rock- 
wood  became  the  center  of  inspiration  for  advancement  in  psy- 
chiatry and  easily  ranked  as  the  most  progressive  and  successful 
of  all  the  Ontario  institutions.  Of  course  the  ambitions  of  the 
superintendent  were  opposed  by  the  politicians,  but  he  was  more 
generously  treated  than  most  of  his  confreres,  and  when  he 
removed  to  Toronto  in  1905  Rockwood  Hospital  had  achieved  a 
most  enviable  reputation.  A  beautiful  nurses'  home,  "  Leahurst,'' 
had  been  built ;  ^  tuberculous  patients  were  treated  in  isolated 
pavilions ;  a  cottage  for  convalescing  patients  known  as  "  The 
Cedars  "  had  been  erected,  and  altogether  Rockwood  had  reached 
a  promising  point  in  development.^ 

^  The  original  building  was  designed  with  a  view  to  the  extension  of  the 
wings  then  erected. 

^ "  Leahurst "  was  opened  by  the  Hon.  J.  R.  Stratton,  Provincial  Secre- 
tary, on  June  29,  1904.     It  has  accommodation  for  50  nurses. 

^  The  "  Cedars  "  is  a  summer  cottage,  used  only  in  fine  weather,  for  pa- 
tients taken  from  the  wards  of  the  institution.  It  was  opened  on  Septem- 
ber 10,  1905. 


156  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

When  Dr.  Clarke  left  in  October,  1905,  to  take  over  the  super- 
intendency  of  the  Toronto  Hospital  for  the  Insane  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Dr.  Edward  Ryan,  a  well-known  Kingston  surgeon. 
Luckily,  Dr.  Ryan,  although  without  experience  in  psychiatry, 
was  careful  to  recognize  the  "  Rockwood  spirit "  and  wisely 
determined  to  keep  the  scientific  side  of  the  work  in  the  fore- 
ground just  as  his  predecessor  had  done. 

A  visit  to  the  psychiatric  clinics  of  Europe^  gave  a  new  zest 
to  his  studies  and  he  very  properly  reached  the  conclusion  that  the 
modern  hospital  for  the  insane  demanded  something  more  than  a 
superintendent's  devotion  to  the  raising  of  mammoth  turnips  and 
thoroughbred  Holsteins.  As  a  result,  under  his  progressive  man- 
agement Rockwood  has  developed  and  probably  ranks  first  among 
the  Ontario  hospitals  for  the  insane,  both  in  scientific  spirit,  equip- 
ment and  efficiency.  The  Hon.  W.  J.  Hanna,  Provincial  Secretary, 
has  taken  a  particular  interest  in  this  hospital  and  is  keenly  alive 
to  the  fact  that  the  scientific  spirit  must  be  kept  alive  if  institu- 
tions are  to  succeed  in  doing  the  work  for  which  they  are  designed. 

Since  Dr.  Ryan's  advent  the  major  structural  improvements 
made  have  been  the  opening,  in  1907,  of  an  industrial  building, 
containing  on  the  first  floor  a  tailor  shop,  a  shoe  shop,  and  a  brush 
and  mattress  shop,  and  on  the  second  floor  a  women's  sewing  and 
tailoring  room;  and  an  addition  to  Beechgrove,  made  in  1914. 
This  provides  an  autopsy  room  in  the  basement  and  an  operating 
suite  on  the  main  floor ;  both  rooms  are  especially  designed  for 
teaching  purposes,  and  provide  seating  accommodation  for  70 
students. 

Rockwood  as  now  constituted  comprises,  in  addition  to  the  main 
building,  an  infirmary,  "  Beechgrove,"  with  a  capacity  of  15  beds; 
"  North  Cottage,"  with  23  beds ;  "  South  Cottage,"  with  64  beds ; 
and  "  Newcourt,"  a  structure  known  as  the  "  Wilson  House  "  at 
the  time  the  seat  of  government  was  in  Kingston,  with  31  beds. 
The  total  capacity  of  the  institution  is  600,  and  its  present  popula- 
tion 571.  It  receives  patients  from  the  counties  of  Durham, 
Northumberland,  Hastings,  Lennox  and  Addington,  Prince 
Edward,  Frontenac  and  Renfrew.  The  original  area  of  the  farm 
has  also  been  increased  by  purchase  to  187  acres. 

^  Vide  sketches  of  the  Toronto  Asylum  and  the  Reception  Hospital, 
Toronto. 


ONTARIO  157 

LONDON  ASYLUM. 

London  Asylum,  the  third  in  point  of  seniority  of  the  existent 
Ontario  institutions,  is  based  on  the  old  makeshift  Maiden  Asylum, 
originally  opened  in  1859  ^s  a  branch  of  Toronto  Asylum,  but 
made  an  independent  establishment  in  1861/ 

After  confederation  of  the  provinces  on  July  i,  1867,  the 
asylums,  with  the  jails  and  other  public  institutions,  came  under 
the  control  of  the  local  legislatures,  in  conformity  with  the  ninth 
section  of  the  "  British  North  America  Act,"  and,  in  1868, 
Ontario  adopted  the  present  system  of  direct  governmental  super- 
vision, through  an  inspector  appointed  for  that  purpose. 

The  first  inspector  under  the  new  regulation,  known  as  the 
"  Prison  and  Asylum  Inspection  Act,"  was  J.  W.  Langmuir,  Esq., 
a  man  of  great  energy  and  extraordinary  business  capabilities, 
who  did  much  to  place  the  asylum  system  on  a  practical,  business- 
like basis. 

In  his  first  report*  we  find  Mr.  Langmuir  urging  upon  the 
government  the  pressing  need  of  increased  accommodation  for 
the  insane,  especially  in  the  western  part  of  the  province.  The 
urgency  of  the  case  was  recognized  by  the  Legislature,  which, 
in  1869,  made  an  appropriation  of  $100,000  toward  the  erection 
of  a  new  asylum,  work  upon  which  was  begun  immediately. 
London,  as  most  central  to  the  population  it  was  intended  to 
benefit,  was  selected  as  the  location  of  the  proposed  structure,  and 
300  acres  of  good,  arable  land  were  purchased  on  the  north  side 
of  the  Governor's  Road,  about  two  miles  east  of  that  city. 

In  construction,  white  brick  was  the  material  chosen,  and  the 
echelon  plan  of  arrangement  was  adopted.  The  edifice,  when 
completed,  consisted  of  a  center  building  four  stories  high,  the 
wings  extending  from  the  same  being  three  stories,  and  the 
receding  wings  two  stories.  The  whole  length  of  the  building 
was  610  feet  and  its  capacity  500  beds,  while  the  cost  of  the  struc- 
ture, including  furnishings,  was  about  $397,000. 

The  institution  was  ready  for  the  reception  of  patients  Novem- 
ber 18,  1870,  on  which  date  the  inmates  of  the  Orillia  branch 
asylum,  119  in  number,  arrived.    They  were  followed  on  the  23d 

^  Vide  Toronto  Asylum  and  its  branches. 

'Report  of  Asylums,  Prisons  and  Public  Charities  of  Ontario,  1867-68, 
p.  26. 


158  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

by  those  of  Maiden,  numbering-  244.  These  supply  depots  were 
closed  upon  the  departure  of  their  occupants.  Dr.  Henry  Landor, 
superintendent  at  Maiden,  took  charge  of  the  new  establishment. 

London  Asylum  was  enlarged  in  1872  by  the  creation  of  a 
department  for  idiots,  which  was  entirely  isolated  from  the  main 
asylum,  but  under  its  management  and  control.  This  structure, 
though  insignificant  in  itself,  being  capable  of  housing  but  38 
inmates,  is  yet  of  considerable  interest,  having  been  the  first  build- 
ing erected  in  the  province  for  the  reception  and  care  of  defectives 
only.  Within  two  months  after  its  opening  this  substitute  idiot 
asylum  was  filled,  showing  the  urgent  need  for  such  an  establish- 
ment. 

In  1874  the  capacity  of  London  Asylum  was  still  further  aug- 
mented by  the  erection  of  a  cottage  for  the  reception  of  60  quiet, 
working  patients — 30  men  and  30  women — at  a  cost  of  about 
$23,cxx).  This  cottage,  made  as  home-like  as  possible,  both  in 
external  appearance  and  domestic  arrangements,  was  supple- 
mented, in  1877,  by  the  construction  of  two  others,  each  of  the 
same  capacity  and  on  similar  lines.    These  were  opened  in  1878. 

The  year  1877  was  a  sorrowful  one  for  the  asylum  at  London, 
witnessing,  as  it  did,  on  January  6  the  death  of  its  first  superinten- 
dent, Dr.  Landor,  a  man  of  great  intellectual  ability,  and  one 
holding  advanced  opinions  in  regard  to  the  treatment  of  insanity 
and  the  administration  of  institution  affairs. 

Happily  a  worthy  successor  was  found  for  him  in  Dr.  Richard 
Maurice  Bucke,  a  graduate  of  McGill  University,  Montreal,  and 
at  that  time  in  charge  of  the  recently  created  Hamilton  Asylum. 
Dr.  Bucke  assumed  the  superintendentship  February  15,  1877, 
and  filled  the  office  with  great  credit  to  himself  and  benefit  to  the 
institution  up  to  the  date  of  his  sudden  and  untimely  death  on 
February  19,  1902.  To  him  is  due  the  introduction  into  Canada, 
in  1883,  of  the  non-restraint  system,  which  is  now  the  accepted 
principle  in  the  treatment  of  the  insane  throughout  the  Ontario 
institutions.  This  fact  is  of  special  interest,  as  at  that  time  nearly 
all  American  asylum  officials  regarded  the  doctrine  of  non-restraint 
as  purely  Utopian.  On  the  outcome  of  his  new  move,  after  a  four 
years'  trial.  Dr.  O'Reilly,  Inspector  of  Asylums,  gave  Dr.  Bucke 
the  following  well  merited  praise. 


ONTARIO  1 59 

To  Dr.  R.  M.  Bucke,  medical  superintendent  of  the  London  Asylum, 
belongs  the  honor  of  being  the  first  to  take  up  the  subject  practically  in 
the  Canadian  asylums.  He  approached  it  at  first  very  properly  with  great 
hesitation  and  caution,  but  it  only  required  a  few  weeks'  practical  study  of 
the  subject  to  convince  him  that  all  that  had  been  said  by  the  advocates  of 
the  system  was  well  founded,  and  restraint  in  the  London  asylum  became 
a  thing  of  the  past.  Dr.  Bucke  did  not  burn  his  restraint  apparatus  with 
religious  ceremonies,  nor  make  any  flourish  of  trumpets  about  it.  When 
the  proper  time  came  he  simply  announced  that  after  i8  months'  trial  of 
absolute  non-restraint  in  an  asylum  having  a  population  of  900  patients, 
he  had  found  the  system  to  be  all  that  had  been  claimed  for  it,  and  that  he 
was  now  unable  to  conceive  of  a  case  where  mechanical  restraint,  except 
for  surgical  reasons,  was  necessary,  was  not  positively  harmful  to  the 
patient.  Dr.  Bucke's  example  was  slowly  followed  by  others,  until  now  in 
this  province  restraint  appliances  are  unknown,  and  one  after  another  the 
doctors  give  in  their  testimony  to  the  great  value  of  this  reform,  which 
was  commenced  by  Conolly  and  Pinel  half  a  century  ago.  * 

Another  important  reform  in  the  London  Asylum  management 
inaugurated  by  Dr.  Bucke  was  the  discontinuance  of  the  use  of 
beer,  wine  and  spirits,  which  Dr.  Landor,  following  the  old 
English  custom,  had  allowed  to  many  patients  as  a  beverage. 

Of  structural  improvements  made  in  the  time  of  Dr.  Bucke, 
the  first  was  the  enlargement  of  the  establishment  by  the  recon- 
struction of  the  idiot  branch,  from  which  the  patients  had  been 
removed  to  the  new  idiot  asylum  at  Orillia.  Extensive  wings 
added  to  the  original  structure  raised  its  capacity  to  183  beds. 
As  rebuilt  it  was  expressly  designed  to  accommodate  troublesome 
patients,  and  was  opened  in  1879. 

In  1883  the  erection  of  an  outside  chapel,  with  a  seating  capacity 
of  450,  was  begun.  This  had  been  asked  for  by  Dr.  Bucke  for 
several  years,  and  was  opened  in  1885.  It  was  a  handsome  struc- 
ture, arranged  to  accommodate  both  Protestant  and  Roman  Catho- 
lic worshipers.  A  central  alcove  at  the  rear,  flanked  on  each  side 
by  a  vestry  room,  contained  an  altar  for  the  latter  denomination. 
By  sliding  doors  this  alcove  and  altar  were  cut  off  from  the  body 
of  the  church  when  in  use  for  Protestant  services. 

In  December,  1887,  the  hospital  laundry  and  kitchen  were 
destroyed  by  fire.  In  reconstruction,  advantage  was  taken  of  the 
opportunity  to  secure  a  new  amusement  hall,  situated  over  the  new 
laundry  and  kitchen,  to  replace  the  old  one,  which  was  located  in 

*  Report  of  Asylums,  Prisons  and  Public  Charities  of  Ontario,  1887,  p.  36. 


l6o  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

the  fourth  story  of  the  main  building,  where  it  was  difficult  of 
access  and  a  source  of  danger  to  life  in  case  of  a  fire  occurring 
when  the  hall  was  in  use.  At  the  same  time  the  old  hall  was  con- 
verted into  an  infirmary  of  two  wards,  containing  beds  for  40 
patients,  20  of  each  sex. 

In  the  selection  of  the  asylum  site  insufficient  attention  had  been 
given  to  facilities  for  the  disposal  of  sewage.  Without  going  to 
the  Rivep  Thames,  a  distance  of  some  three  miles,  the  only  natural 
outlet  for  drains  was  a  small  neighboring  creek.  This  soon 
became  so  polluted  as  to  be  a  nuisance  and  detriment  to  the  parties 
living  along  or  near  its  banks,  and  an  outcry  was  raised  against  the 
continued  contamination.  The  result  was  that  the  government 
was  obliged  to  install  a  filtration  plant,  by  means  of  which  only 
clear  water  was  allowed  to  escape  into  the  creek.  After  a  pro- 
longed trial,  however,  it  was  found  impossible  to  prevent  the  filter 
choking  up,  and  its  use  had  eventually  to  be  abandoned.  In  the 
course  of  the  year  1889  another  plan  of  sewage  disposal  was 
adopted,  known  as  the  "  intermittent  downward  and  filtration 
system."  The  work  was  conducted  under  the  supervision  of  CoL 
George  E.  Waring,  the  eminent  sanitary  engineer  of  Newport, 
R.  I.  Briefly  stated,  the  system  consists  of  running  the  sewage  into 
level  trenches,  made  side  by  side  in  a  piece  of  ground  especially 
graded  for  the  purpose,  from  which  it  filters  into  the  soil.  Within 
a  few  hours  from  the  time  it  is  pumped  into  the  trenches  it  has 
sunk  into  the  soil  and  disappeared.  Only  a  fourth  or  fifth  part 
of  the  trenches  are  used  each  day,  so  that  each  trench,  after  being 
used,  lies  four  or  five  days  unused.  Between  the  trenches  are 
long,  narrow  beds,  splendidly  adapted  for  the  growth  of  garden 
truck.' 

Dr.  Bucke  had  been  urgent  in  his  appeals  for  a  separate 
infirmary  to  replace  the  makeshift  one  into  which  the  old  amuse- 
ment hall  in  the  main  building  had  been  converted,  and  which, 
notwithstanding  its  inadequacy  to  meet  the  requirements  of  mod- 

^  Up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  Dr.  Bucke  was  enthusiastic  in  his  praise  of 
the  new  system,  and  year  by  year  added  to  the  size  of  the  sewage  farm, 
which,  originally  consisting  of  four,  now  has  an  area  of  some  20  acres. 
During  the  year  1901  32,000,000  gallons  of  sewage  were  thrown  into  the 
trenches.  It  continues  to  give  good  satisfaction  as  regards  profit  from 
crops,  and  there  is  no  malodor  from  the  ground  irrigated  with  sewage. 


ONTARIO  l6l 

em  surgery,  had  done  good  service.  The  amount  of  surgery-, 
especially  gynecological,  being  done  at  the  asylum  had  made  this 
almost  an  absolute  necessity.  Such  a  structure  had  been  long 
promised  and  long  delayed,  but,  in  1900,  the  doctor's  plea  was  at 
last  met,  and  excavation  for  the  foundation  of  the  new  building, 
which  was  arranged  to  have  a  capacity  of  60,  was  begun  on  July 
3  of  that  year.  The  work  was  completed  and  the  structure  opened 
in  the  autumn  of  1904.^ 

In  1908  this  infirmary  was  enlarged  and  adapted  to  the  dual 
purpose  of  a  reception  hospital,  as  well  as  one  for  the  special  care 
of  medical  and  surgical  cases.  Dr.  Robinson,  the  then  and  present 
superintendent  of  the  asylum,  states  that  only  a  small  part  of  the 
original  structure  was  occupied  by  the  latter  classes  of  patients, 
and  it  had  gradually  become  filled  with  chronic,  feeble  inmates. 
The  removal  of  these  to  other  suitable  wards  was  accomplished 
early  in  the  year,  since  which  time  every  newly  admitted  patient 
has  been  placed  in  the  reception  hospital,  where  had  been  installed 
a  complete  system  of  hydrotherapeutic  appliances.  A  staff  of  18 
nurses,  or  an  average  of  one  to  about  every  four  patients,  was 
provided.  In  his  1910  report  on  this  subject,  Dr.  Robinson  writes 
as  follows : 

This  still  continues  to  be  the  most  important  feature  of  our  work.  All 
patients  are  admitted  to  this  hospital,  where  they  remain  for  a  greater  or 
less  period  of  time.  Many  cases  remain  until  they  are  able  to  go  home, 
and  are  never  placed  among  the  chronic  patients  in  other  parts  of  the  insti- 
tution.   The  great  aim  is  to  conduct  the  place  like  an  ordinary  general 

hospital Although  our  reception  hospital  has  only  been  in  operation 

two  full  years,  much  too  short  a  period  from  which  to  draw  any  general 
conclusion,  the  sudden  increase  in  the  percentage  of  discharges  during  that 
time  has  been  very  marked.* 

During  the  early  part  of  the  year  1902  death  deprived  America 
of  one  of  its  ablest  alienists  in  the  person  of  Dr.  R.  M.  Bucke,  who 
was  succeeded  by  Dr.  G.  A.  MacCallum,  an  i860  graduate  of 
Victoria  University.  Dr.  MacCullum  assumed  charge  of  the 
hospital  on  March  3  and  during  his  first  year  in  office  inaugurated 

'  This  infirmary  was  a  well-built  modern  structure,  which  cost  upwards 
of  $100,000,  having  among  other  features  a  well-equipped  operating  room. 

^  Forty-third  Annual  Report  of  the  Inspector  of  Prisons  and  Public 
Charities  upon  the  Hospitals  for  the  Insane  of  the  Province  of  Ontario, 
being  for  the  year  ending  31st  October,  1910,  p.  56. 


l62  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

a  training-  school  for  nurses  and  advocated  the  building  of  a  nurses' 
home.  He  also  urged  upon  the  government  that  steps  should  be 
taken  to  found  a  general  pathological  laboratory  in  connection 
with  the  asylum  system  of  the  province.  The  former  of  his 
requests  was  in  part  met  by  the  conversion,  in  1905,  of  the  large 
center  building  of  the  infirmary  into  a  residence  for  28  nurses, 
who,  as  the  doctor  states,  "  were  formerly  at  work  on  the  worst 
halls  and  from  which  they  had  formerly  to  retire  for  the  night 
in  rooms  just  off  the  halls,  so  that  they  were  really  in  the  noise  and 
worry  and  bad  air  of  these  halls  during  the  greater  part  of  the  24 
hours,  and  consequently  very  frequently  ill  and  off  duty.  All 
parties  concerned  are  very  much  pleased  with  the  change,  the 
institution  gets  better  service  from  the  nurses  and  they  are  in  much 
better  health  and  can  do  their  work  with  greater  comfort  and 
vigor.'" 

The  asylum  property,  which  originally  consisted  of  3CX)  acres, 
but  which  had  been  slightly  curtailed  by  the  passage  of  the  Cana- 
d:ian  Pacific  and  Grand  Trunk  railways  across  it,  was  augmented, 
in  1905,  by  the  purchase  of  a  plot  of  land  lying  immediately  to  the 
north,  known  as  the  "  Trebilcock  Farm."  This  comprised  235 
acres,  and  by  its  acquirement  the  hospital  became  possessed  of  a 
block  of  527  acres. 

In  January,  1908,  Dr.  W.  J.  Robinson,  of  Guelph,  Ont.,  a 
graduate  of  the  University  of  Toronto,  in  1883,  was  appointed 
to  the  superintendency  of  the  establishment  on  the  transfer  of 
Dr.  MacCallum  to  the  charge  of  the  Penetanguishene  Hospital. 
Since  his  accession,  in  addition  to  the  formation  of  the  reception 
hospital,  the  major  improvements  effected  have  been  the  construc- 
tion, in  1910,  of  a  fine  skating  and  curling  rink,  200  feet  by  65  feet, 
and  the  installation,  in  1912,  of  electric  light  to  replace  the  gas 
formerly  in  use. 

On  the  second  day  of  January,  1912,  another  fire  occurred  in 
the  same  part  of  the  institution  as  that  which  had  met  with 
disaster  in  1887.  It  completely  destroyed  the  kitchen,  bakery,  and 
the  amusement  hall  situated  overhead.    A  new  kitchen,  bakery  and 

^  Thirty-eighth  Annual  Report  of  the  Inspector  of  Prisons  and  Public 
Charities  upon  the  Lunatic  and  Idiot  Asylums  of  the  Province  of  Ontario, 
being  for  the  year  ending  30th  September,  1905. 


ON 


ONTARIO  163 

cannery  *  were  built  during  the  same  year,  while  a  new  amusement 
hall  is  now  in  course  of  construction,  and  is  expected  to  be  com- 
pleted in  a  few  months.  The  latter  structure  will  provide  a 
splendid  room  for  dancing,  concerts,  lectures,  moving  pictures, 
etc.  In  addition,  it  will  contain  club  rooms  for  male  and  female 
employees.  These  will  be  fitted  up  with  billiard  tables,  bowling 
alley,  shooting  gallery,  shower  baths,  swimming  pool  and  other 
attractive  means  of  recreation. 

The  total  capacity  of  the  institution  is  set  down  as  1066,  but 
the  population  at  the  close  of  the  official  year  1914  was  1130,  viz., 
535  men  and  595  women.' 

HAMILTON  ASYLUM. 

Hamilton  Asylum,  now  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  Hamilton, 
found  its  origin  in  an  effort  on  the  part  of  the  temperance 
advocates  of  the  province  to  provide  a  place  of  detention  for 
inebriates. 

At  the  session  of  the  Legislative  Assembly  in  1867-68  a  petition 
presented  by  the  Congregational  Union  of  Canada  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  an  asylum  for  inebriates  was  referred  to  a  Parliamen- 
tary committee.^  Nothing,  however,  was  done  in  the  matter,  and 
between  July,  1872,  and  February,  1873,  some  50  petitions  to  the 
same  efifect  as  the  original,  and  signed  by  residents  from  all  parts 
of  the  province,  were  presented.  In  compliance  with  these,  backed 
by  personal  appeals  of  delegations  from  all  sections  of  the  com- 
munity, it  was  decided  by  the  government  to  procure  a  site  and 
commence  the  erection  of  a  building  in  the  vicinity  of  Hamilton. 

Of  sites  proposed,  the  two  finding  most  favor  were  one  on  the 
brow  of  the  escarpment*  overlooking  the  city  of  Hamilton,  the 
charming  Dundas  Valley  and  Burlington  Bay,  above  which  it 

^The  cannery  is  a  recent  innovation,  which  from  small  beginnings  has 
grown  to  such  an  extent  that  it  is  able  to  preserve  all  the  surplus  tomatoes, 
corn,  pears,  apples,  plums  and  other  fruits  produced  in  the  very  extensive 
and  fertile  gardens  of  the  hospital. 

'  Vide  letter  from  Dr.  Robinson,  dated  June  5,  1915. 

^  Vide  general  index  of  journals  and  sessional  papers  of  the  Legislative 
Assembly  of  Ontario,  1867-8  to  1888. 

■*  This  escarpment  is  commonly  designated  by  Hamiltonians  the  "  Moun- 
tain." 


l6'4  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

rises  some  300  feet;  the  other  a  property  on  the  lower  level  in 
East  Hamilton.  Joseph  Rymal,  Esq.,  M.  P.,  and  James  Williams, 
Esq.,  M.  P.  P.,  then  members  of  the  federal  and  local  legislatures, 
respectively,  strongly  urged  the  selection  of  the  former,  and  fortu- 
nately their  wishes  prevailed.  The  wisdom  of  the  choice  has  been 
amply  demonstrated,  as  it  is  one  of  the  most  delightfully  situated 
and  healthful  localities  in  the  province. 

The  first  property,  comprising  about  100  acres,  was  purchased 
for  $22,400  from  Mr.  Isaac  Buchanan,  ex-M.  P.,  Messrs.  Moore 
and  Davis,  and  a  Mrs.  Gourlay.  Upon  this  was  erected,  according 
to  plans  prepared  by  Mr.  Kauflfman,  Provincial  Architect,  a  three- 
story  brick  building  with  coursed  stone  basement  and  mansard 
roof,  suitable  for  the  accommodation  of  200  patients  and  necessary 
staff.  It  was  ready  for  occupancy  in  the  fall  of  1875.  The  material 
employed  in  construction,  above  the  basement,  was  red  brick,  with 
white  brick  and  stone  trimmings. 

Notwithstanding  the  opportunity  thus  afforded  for  the  detention 
of  inebriates,  it  was  not  taken  advantage  of  as  had  been  expected. 
Meanwhile  the  jails  and  a  number  of  private  houses  contained 
many  insane  persons  who  needed  accommodation,  and  the  repeated 
appeals  of  the  inspector  of  asylums,  Mr.  J.  W.  Langmuir,  to  the 
effect  that  the  needs  of  lunatics  were  far  more  pressing  than 
those  of  dipsomaniacs,  were  acceded  to.  The  building  was  con- 
sequently devoted  to  the  care  of  the  insane. 

On  March  17,  1876,  the  date  of  opening  for  the  reception  of 
chronic  cases  only,  210  patients  were  transferred  from  the  Toronto, 
Kingston  and  London  asylums.  The  institution  was  originally 
placed  in  charge  of  Dr.  Richard  M.  Bucke,  a  general  practitioner 
of  Samia,  Ont.,  who,  on  his  being  sent  to  the  London  Asylum,  in 
the  following  year,  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  J.  M.  Wallace,  February 
14,  1877,  superintendent  of  the  idiot  asylum  at  Orillia,  Ont.  With 
Dr.  Bucke  were  associated  Dr.  T.  S.  Covernton,  of  Toronto 
Asylum,  as  assistant  superintendent,  and  Mr.  Bidwell  Way,  of 
Picton,  Ont.,  as  bursar. 

The  land  that  had  been  acquired  was  a  common,  very  rough  and 
rocky  but  well  wooded  in  parts,  and  much  labor  had  to  be  expended 
in  levelling,  removing  stumps  and  constructing  roadways  and 
necessary  fences. 


ONTARIO  165 

During  the  next  year,  i.  e.,  1878,  it  was  decided  to  enlarge  the 
building,  and  wings  were  added  to  both  the  east  and  west  sides, 
while  an  addition,  in  rear  of  the  center,  was  erected  to  provide  a 
congregate  dining  room  on  the  lower  floor,  and  rooms  for  staflf 
and  an  amusement  hall  on  the  two  upper  floors.  These  wings, 
which  were  completed  and  opened  March  15,  1879,  recede  from 
the  front  line  of  the  main  building,  and  are  two  stories  in  height, 
with  basement  and  mansard  roof.  The  transverse  connecting 
portions  between  the  wings  and  central  structure  are  of  the  same 
height  as  the  latter,  the  entire  length  of  the  building  being  about 
550  feet.  When  enlarged  by  the  construction  of  these  wings,  a 
group  of  eight  counties  was  assigned  to  the  hospital,  to  which 
acute  cases  were  then  admitted. 

In  June  of  the  same  year,  owing  to  the  overcrowded  condition 
of  the  Asylum  for  Idiots  at  Orillia,  while  many  patients  of  this 
class  were  being  detained  in  the  jails,  instructions  were  given 
to  fit  up  the  basements  of  the  new  additions  for  temporary 
occupancy  by  these,  and  27  imbeciles  were  removed  thereto  on  July 

Also  during  this  year  (1879)  the  unsatisfactory  system  for  the 
disposal  of  sewage,  by  its  collection  and  treatment  in  tanks  blasted 
out  of  the  rock  immediately  in  front  of  the  main  building,  was 
abandoned.  As  a  substitute  an  18-inch  glazed  tile  pipe  was  laid 
down  the  face  of  the  mountain,  to  connect  with  the  city  service, 
an  agreement  being  made  with  the  corporation  that  the  sum  then 
paid  was  to  provide  for  all  time  to  come  for  the  disposal  of  the 
asylum  sewage.  Coincident  with  the  settlement  of  the  sewage 
problem  a  much-needed  change  was  made  in  the  water-supply 
system.  From  the  time  of  the  erection  of  the  first  building  water 
had  had  to  be  procured  from  the  city,  all  attempts,  by  putting  down 
artesian  wells,  failing  to  give  an  adequate  amount.  The  city 
supply,  however,  was  unsatisfactory,  owing  to  the  elevation  of  the 
institution  above  the  lake.  As  a  result,  a  special  pumping-station, 
the  property  of  the  hospital,  was  built  at  the  corner  of  Queen  and 
Markland  streets,  about  half  a  mile  distant  and  120  feet  below 
the  building. 

^  Additions  to  the  Orillia  establishment  having  been  completed  in  Septem- 
ber, 1882,  all  idiots  then  in  the  Hamilton  institution,  to  the  number  of  75, 
"were  transferred  thither. 


l66  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE  OF   THE   INSANE 

Access  to  the  institution  being  somewhat  roundabout,  a  flight  of 
262  wooden  steps  was  constructed,  in  1881,  leading  from  the  front 
of  the  main  building  to  Queen  Street.  Their  completion  made 
much  more  easy  the  three  or  four  daily  trips  of  the  engineer  to 
the  pumping  station,  and  provided  a  shorter  road  to  the  western 
portion  of  the  city  for  other  employees  and  the  friends  of  patients. 

In  1884  the  erection  of  a  reception  hospital,  where  acute  cases 
could  be  received  and  treated  apart  from  the  more  chronic  and 
demented  population,  was  urged  and  an  appropriation  granted 
for  the  purpose.  Consequently,  what  is  known  as  "  East  House  " 
was  completed  to  give  housing  for  80  men,  the  purpose  being  to 
erect  a  counterpart  the  following  year  for  women.  Though  the 
building,  opened  November  i,  1884,  was,  and  in  fact  now  is,  quite 
suitable  for  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  designed,  the  original 
plan  was  not  carried  out,  and  subsequently,  in  1890,  the  govern- 
ment set  the  building  aside  for  the  detention  of  the  criminal  insane 
of  the  province. 

In  1885  plans,  modelled  after  the  hospital  at  Middletown,  Conn., 
were  prepared  for  a  three-story  building,  with  basement,  to 
accommodate  300  patients,  and  the  erection  of  "  Orchard  House," 
with  a  dining  room  for  each  hall  instead  of  the  associate  dining 
room  of  the  main  building,  was  begun.  It  was  not,  however,  com- 
pleted until  1888,  being  opened  on  January  24  of  that  year,  when 
the  then  inspector,  Dr.  W.  T.  O'Reilly,  pronounced  it  without 
exception  the  best  asylum  building  in  the  province. 

On  Sunday,  October  31,  1886,  a  serious  fire  endangered  for  a 
time  the  whole  institution.  Fortunately  it  was  unattended  by 
loss  of  life,  though  the  night  attendants,  then  in  their  rooms,  had 
narrow  escapes.  The  outbreak  began  in  the  drying  room  of  the 
laundry,  being  apparently  caused  by  a  patient  who  had  taken 
refuge  there  to  have  a  quiet,  uninterrupted  smoke.  The  portions 
of  the  building  destroyed  were  the  laundry,  the  kitchen,  an 
associate  dining  room  for  350  patients,  the  amusement  hall  with  its 
stage  and  scenery,  the  bakery,  and  the  sleeping  apartments  of  the 
night  watches  and  servants  of  the  institution.  With  the  aid  of 
the  Hamilton  fire  brigade  and  a  body  of  the  13th  Regiment,  under 
command  of  Lt.-Col.  J.  M.  Gibson,  M.  P.  P.  (afterwards  Lieuten- 
ant-Governor of  the  province),  the  flames  were  subdued  before 
they  destroyed  the  wards  and  central  administrative  section  of  the 


crs 


ONTARIO  167 

main  building.  In  reconstruction  the  precaution  was  taken  to 
place  between  the  laundry  and  the  kitchen,  etc.,  a  heavy  fire  wall. 
The  cost  of  repairs  amounted  to  over  $60,000. 

Early  in  1887,  owing  to  continued  ill  health,  Dr.  Wallace 
resigned  the  superintendency,  and  in  May  following  Dr.  J.  W. 
Montgomery,  the  assistant  superintendent,  who  had  been  in  the 
service  of  the  province  since  1877,  died  suddenly  from  cerebral 
apoplexy.  Dr.  James  Russell,  a  practising  physician  of  Binbrook, 
Wentworth  County,  Ont.,  was  appointed  to  the  position  made 
vacant  by  the  retirement  of  Dr.  Wallace,  and  assumed  duty  August 
31  of  that  year. 

In  1891  contracts  were  let  for  the  erection  of  a  large  reservoir, 
capable  of  holding  200,000  gallons  of  water,  a  fire  hall  and  a  hose 
tower,  the  work  being  completed  by  the  fall  of  1892.  In  the  fire 
hall,  in  addition  to  the  hose  reels,  ladder  trucks,  etc.,  was  placed 
a  powerful  steam  pump,  connected  to  the  reservoir  and  fire  mains, 
whereby  a  pressure  of  200  pounds  could  almost  immediately  be 
exerted. 

During  the  years  1893  and  1898  further  additions  were  made 
to  the  establishment.  In  the  former,  sections  were  added  in  rear 
of  each  of  the  main  building  wings  for  the  provision  of  well- 
lighted,  segregate  dining  rooms  with  adjacent  sculleries,  etc.,  to 
replace  the  associate  dining  room  heretofore  in  use ;  in  the  latter 
year,  an  infirmary,  in  which  was  located  an  excellent  operating 
room,  modernly  equipped,  was  completed  with  a  capacity  of  40 
beds. 

In  1900  electric  lighting  was  introduced  into  all  the  buildings 
and  residences  to  replace  the  gas  previously  in  use,  while  in  1904 
a  skating  rink,  150x64  feet,  was  constructed.^ 

Dr.  Russell  having  resigned  the  superintendency,  after  20  years' 
service,  in  May,  1907,  was  succeeded  in  office  June  i,  by  Dr. 
Walter  M.  English,  of  London,  Ont.,  for  some  ten  years  previous 
professor  of  public  health  in  the  medical  department  of  the 
Western  University,  located  in  that  city.  Though  no  important 
structural  changes  have  been  wrought  since  Dr.  English's  assump- 
tion of  the  reins  of  government,  nevertheless  the  Hamilton  Hos- 

^In  1908  this  rink  was  increased  in  size  by  the  addition  of  a  section, 
150  X  20  feet,  thus  providing  ample  space  for  both  skating  and  curling. 


l68  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

pital  has  continued  to  press  quietly  forward  in  its  good  work,  and 
to  keep  abreast  with  other  kindred  institutions  in  the  province. 

On  August  I,  191 1,  a  serious  fire,  supposed  to  be  due  to  defective 
electric  wiring,  broke  out  in  the  upper  story  on  the  male  side  of 
the  main  building.  Unfortunately,  the  conflagration  resulted  not 
only  in  the  loss  of  property,  a  minor  consideration,  but  in  causing 
the  deaths,  before  they  could  be  removed,  of  nine  elderly  dements 
resident  in  the  flat.  The  repairs,  which  cost  about  $18,000,  gave 
opportunity  to  make  several  much-needed  improvements. 

On  November  i,  1913,  the  provincial  hydroelectric  system 
was  connected  with  the  hospital,  and  the  steam  pumps  previously 
in  use  abandoned,  except  for  emergencies,  electricity  being  em- 
ployed in  place  thereof. 

The  original  property  purchased  for  the  institution  was  soon 
found  insufficient  for  garden  and  farm  purposes.  In  consequence, 
from  time  to  time  additions  to  it  were  made.  Thus  in  1888,  95 
acres  more  were  bought ;  while,  in  1890,  the  "  Andrews  Home- 
stead "  and  eight  acres  of  land,  on  which  stood  a  large,  double 
brick  house,  occupied  by  the  gardener  and  farmer,  and  for  which 
the  hospital  had  for  years  been  paying  rental,  was  acquired  at  a 
cost  of  $8000.  In  1897  another  addition  of  50  acres  was  made  by 
purchase  and  exchange  from  a  Mr.  Beckett.  In  1903  "  Boulder- 
wood,"  the  summer  chalet  of  Mr.  B.  E.  Charlton,  with  its  beautiful 
gardens  and  lawn,  comprising  1 1  acres,  lying  between  the  hospital 
entrance  driveway  and  the  mountain  brow,  was  secured ;  *  and  in 
1909  "  Hickory  Farm,"  consisting  of  176  acres  of  excellent  farm 
land,  was  obtained  at  the  price  of  $15,000.*  This  last  purchase 
leaves  the  total  property  area  of  the  hospital  at  529  acres. 

The  total  capacity  of  the  hospital  now  is  1295,  while  13 12 
patients  were  in  residence  at  the  close  of  19 14.  It  has  as  feeders 
the  counties  of  Halton,  Wentworth,  Welland,  Lincoln,  Haldimand, 
Norfolk,  Brant,  Wellington,  Waterloo,  Dufferin  and  Grey. 

*In  1908  this  chalet  was  moved  to  a  spot  adjacent  to  the  infirmary  and 
utilized  in  the  construction  of  a  harborage  for  30  tuberculous  patients,  its 
well-lighted  rooms  and  broad  verandas  fitting  it  admirably  for  the  purpose. 

'  The  old  farm  house  on  this  property  has  been  remodelled,  brick  veneered 
and  a  second  story  added,  thus  giving  accommodation  for  36  patients  of  a 
privileged  class  with  the  requisite  staff. 


k. 


ON 


13 


ONTARIO  169 

MIMICO  ASYLUM. 

Mimico  Asylum '  is  located  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Ontario,  about 
four  or  five  miles  beyond  the  western  limits  of  the  City  of  Toronto 
and  two  miles  from  the  village  of  Mimico,  whence  it  takes  its 
name. 

For  some  years  previous  to  1890  the  question  of  how  to  take 
care  of  the  chronic  insane  most  economically  and  at  the  same  time 
most  efficiently  had  seriously  engaged  the  attention  of  the  Ontario 
Legislature,  and  the  government,  carrying  into  effect  the  views 
of  leading  philanthropists,  decided  to  try  the  experiment  of 
equipping  a  new  asylum  solely  for  the  chronic  insane,  who  were 
to  be  transferred  to  it  from  other  provincial  asylums  where  the 
accommodation  had  become  insufficient.  As  it  was  then  designed 
to  remove  this  class  of  cases  from  all  the  larger  asylums  in  the 
province,  it  was  necessary  to  select  a  site  which,  considered  geo- 
graphically, would  be  central  as  far  as  these  institutions  were 
concerned.  On  this  account  as  well  as  for  sanitary  reasons  this 
healthful  and  beautiful  situation  was  selected. 

The  administration  of  the  establishment  was  to  be  directed  from 
the  Toronto  Asylum,  of  which  it  was  to  be  regarded  as  a  branch, 
known  as  the  "  Mimico  Branch  Asylum."  It  was  so  conducted 
from  its  opening,  January  20,  1890,  when  the  first  patients  were 
transferred  from  Toronto  Asylum,  up  to  November,  1894.  At 
the  latter  date,  copying  the  example  set  by  the  State  of  New  York 
as  regarded  their  hospitals  at  Willard  and  Binghamton,  it  was 
decided  by  the  government  to  be  neither  wise  nor  just  that  a  large 
body  of  the  insane  should  be  branded  as  hopelessly  incurable  and 
herded  by  themselves,  when  experience  showed  that  while  the 
chances  of  restoration  to  reason  certainly  lessened  with  the  con- 
tinuance of  the  disease,  it  was  none  the  less  true  that  recovery 
might  possibly  occur  at  any  time. 

Acting  upon  this  righteous  and  humane  conclusion,  the  Mimico 
branch  was  transformed  into  an  independent  institution,  and  had 
a  territory  assigned  to  it  from  which  to  receive  patients  direct. 

^  By  an  act  of  the  Legislature  the  name  of  asylum  was  abandoned  in  the 
case  of  all  institutions  for  the  care  of  the  insane,  the  term  hospital  being 
substituted  therefor.  The  official  title  of  the  Mimico  establishment  thus 
became  "  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  Mimico."  Vide  Revised  Statutes  of 
Ontario.  1914,  Chap.  295. 


170  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

This  territory  comprised  the  counties  of  Peel,  Simcoe,  Ontario, 
Victoria  and  Peterboro,  and  the  districts  of  Muskoka,  Parry 
Sound,  Nippissing,  Algoma,  Thunder  Bay  and  Rainy  River. 

In  construction  the  cottage  system  was  adopted  as  the  one  best 
calculated  to  meet  the  wants  indicated,  red  brick  being  the  material 
selected.  The  hospital,  therefore,  as  regards  the  housing  of 
patients,  is  composed  altogether  of  cottages. 

Opened  January  21,  1890,^  with  two  cottages  erected  in  1889, 
the  number  has  since  been  increased  to  ten,  five  for  men  and  five 
for  women,  grouped  on  each  side  of  a  central  administration 
building  so  as  to  form  with  it  three  sides  of  a  square,  A  large 
structure  in  rear  of  the  administration  building,  known  as  the 
"  Center  Building,"  was  intended  to  provide  accommodation  for 
the  kitchen,  laundry,  store,  amusement  hall,  chapel,  bake-shop 
and  boiler  house,  but  an  arrangement  suited  to  meet  the  wants  of 
chronic  patients  did  not  suffice  for  the  needs  of  the  acute,  and 
when  the  character  of  the  institution  was  changed,  the  foregoing 
provisions  were  found  to  be  very  inadequate.  It  was,  therefore, 
deemed  necessary  to  provide  additional  room,  and  this  was  done 
by  the  construction  of  a  separate  building,  in  which  provision  was 
made  for  a  store  on  the  ground  floor  and  a  combined  assembly  hall 
and  chapel  on  the  first  floor.  The  space  which  had  been  occupied 
by  the  store  and  amusement  hall  in  the  center  building  thus  became 
available  for  a  reorganization  and  reconstruction  of  the  laundry. 
In  rear  of  the  center  building  again  is  located  a  carpenter  shop,  in 
which  space  is  provided  for  a  paint  shop  and  blacksmith  shop, 
while  in  the  basement  are  coal  vaults  and  a  root  cellar. 

All  the  cottages  are  connected  with  each  other  and  with  the 
administration  and  center  buildings  by  a  system  of  subways. 
These  afford  protection  to  the  pipes  for  the  distribution  of  water 
and  heat,  the  wires  for  electric  lighting,  and  the  facilities  for  the 
conveyance  of  food  from  the  kitchen  to  the  cottages. 

One  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres  of  the  farm,  designated 
"  North  Farm,"  are  located  about  a  mile  away  from  the  asylum, 
and  here  are  situated  the  bulk  of  the  farm  buildings,  as  well  as 
separate  houses  for  the  farmer,  mason,  etc.,  and  an  additional 
cottage  occupied  by  20  male  patients  who  work  on  the  farm  and  in 
the  barns  all  the  year  round.    Another  block  of  land,  comprising 

*  The  first  party  of  patients,  consisting  of  116,  was  sent  from  Toronto 
Asylum. 


ONTARIO  171 

some  J^i  acres,  commonly  known  as  the  McNeill  Farm,  was 
acquired  in  1903.  This,  combined  with  the  North  Farm  and  the 
60  acres  in  the  lot  on  which  the  cottages,  etc.,  are  located,  brings 
the  total  area  of  the  hospital  property  up  to  about  260  acres. 

For  the  management  of  the  institution  there  is  a  medical  super- 
intendent and  three  assistant  medical  officers,  a  bursar,  store- 
keeper, matron  and  assistant  matron.  One  of  the  assistant  med- 
ical officers  has  charge  of  the  men's  cottages  and  one  of  the 
women's.  They  exercise  their  functions  under  the  direction  of 
the  superintendent,  who  visits  the  groups  of  cottages  each  alter- 
nate morning,  accompanied  by  the  medical  officer  in  charge.  One 
chief  attendant  has  the  supervision  of  the  male  patients  and 
another  of  the  female,  and  are  directly  responsible  to  the  respec- 
tive medical  assistants.  In  each  cottage  there  is  a  supervisor  and 
a  staff  of  day  and  night  attendants.  In  addition  to  the  foregoing 
there  are  heads  to  the  various  departments,  such  as  an  engineer, 
carpenter,  farmer,  electrician,  baker,  etc. 

Acute  and  probably  recoverable  cases  are  admitted  to  the  recep- 
tion wards  of  two  of  the  cottages  set  apart  for  that  purpose,  each 
accommodating  60  patients.  In  these,  besides  the  spray  baths 
common  to  all  the  cottages,  there  are  provided  continuous  baths 
and  other  hydrotherapeutic  appliances.  Here,  too,  the  proportion 
of  nurses  to  patients  is  much  larger  and  there  are  a  number  of 
single  rooms,  so  that,  while  they  do  not  differ  materially  from  the 
other  cottages,  they  meet  reception  requirements  fairly  well.  Dr. 
Beemer,  the  superintendent,  states,  however,  that  the  greatest  need 
of  the  hospital  is  a  properly  constructed  and  equipped  building  for 
the  reception  of  acute  cases,  where  work  may  be  done  which  is  not 
attempted  in  the  cottage  reception  wards.  Such  a  structure,  he 
further  says,  has  for  several  years  been  under  the  consideration 
of  the  government,  but  other  more  pressing  structural  operations 
have  so  far  crowded  it  into  the  background. 

Soon  after  the  opening  of  the  establishment  it  was  found  that 
prompt  attention  would  have  to  be  given  to  the  provision  of  a 
proper  water  supply.  A  pipe,  extending  2000  feet  from  the  shore 
line  into  the  lake,  had  been  laid,  but  this,  owing  to  defective  joints, 
allowed  locally  contaminated  water  to  enter,  with  the  result  that 
the  drinking  water  so  polluted  was  the  cause  of  several  outbreaks 
of  typhoid  fever.  The  defect  was  remedied  by  sinking  a  well  at 
the  pumping  station,  and  by  depressing  the  inner  end  of  the  intake 


172  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

pipe  SO  as  to  allow  the  water  from  the  lake  to  enter  it  by  gravity 
instead  of  being  drawn  into  it  by  suction  from  the  pump.  It  also 
became  necessary,  in  order  to  protect  this  pipe  near  the  shore,  to 
excavate  a  trench  in  the  rock  for  it  and  cover  it  over  with  cement, 
so  as  to  prevent  damage  during  heavy  storms.^ 

Another  subject  which  required  much  attention  in  the  early 
days  was  connected  with  a  plant  for  the  disposal  of  sewage.  A 
sewage  house  was  constructed  with  filtration  beds.  After  the 
deposition  of  organic  matter  from  the  sewage,  the  liquid  residue 
was  distributed  upon  these  beds,  the  surplus  water  being  allowed 
to  escape  into  the  lake.  Several  years  of  experimentation  were 
required  before  a  satisfactory  degree  of  efficiency  in  the  plan 
could  be  reached.* 

Dr.  William  T.  Reynolds,  then  second  assistant  physician  of 
Hamilton  Asylum,  was  the  first  officer  in  charge  of  the  establish- 
ment, having  assumed  duty  January  13,  1890.  He  remained  as 
such  up  to  September  13,  when  he  returned  to  the  Hamilton 
institution.  Dr.  John  Cascaden  was  appointed  his  successor  as 
first  assistant  physician  of  Toronto  Asylum,  resident  at  the  Mimico 
branch.  On  November  27  Dr.  Cascaden  resigned  his  position 
and  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  J.  B.  Murphy,  who  entered  on  his 
duties,  January  16,  1891.  After  three  years'  service  as  resident 
medical  superintendent.  Dr.  Murphy  was  appointed  medical  super- 
intendent of  the  new  Brockville  Asylum,  and  retired  November 
15,  1894.  He  was  followed  on  the  same  date  by  Dr.  Nelson  H. 
Beemer,  assistant  superintendent  of  the  London  Asylum,  who 
became  the  first  medical  superintendent  of  the  Mimico  Asylum, 
vice  the  Mimico  Branch  Asylum,  which  ceased  to  exist. 

Dr.  Beemer  still  retains  charge,  and  during  his  tenure  of  office 
the  hospital  has  continued  to  progress  steadily  onward,  while 
many  important  improvements  have  been  made,  among  them 
being  the  following  major  ones :  A  separate  brick  residence  for 
the  superintendent  was  completed  and  occupied  in  1896.    In  1898 

^An  ingenious  device  of  the  engineer,  connected  with  the  pipe  joining 
the  main  water  supply  pipe  to  the  fire  hydrant  system  surrounding  the 
buildings,  makes  it  possible  to  use  the  pump  at  the  pumping  station  as  an 
auxiliary  in  the  event  of  the  regularly  installed  fire  pump  being  disabled 
at  any  time. 

^  The  great  drawback  to  the  filtration  system  as  originally  introduced 
was  the  saponaceous  residuum  from  the  laundry.  This,  forming  a  coating 
over  the  filtering  material  used,  prevented  its  proper  action. 


ONTARIO  '  173 

the  new  amusement  hall  was  erected,  and  in  1900  an  improved 
cold-storage  plant  was  provided.  This  was  followed  in  1901  by 
the  construction  of  a  modern  conservatory,  while  in  1904  the  old 
wooden  bridge  across  a  ravine  which  traverses  the  property  was 
replaced  by  a  highly  ornamental  one  of  stone  and  concrete.  In 
1906  Cottage  2,  which  had  been  destroyed  by  fire  the  previous  year, 
was  rebuilt.  In  1907  a  commodious  brick  barn,  with  steel  frame- 
work and  cement  floor,  was  erected  on  the  McNeill  farm,  and  in 
1909  the  old  barn  on  the  North  Farm,  together  with  the  horse  and 
cow  stables,  was  replaced  by  an  up-to-date  and  capacious  new 
structure.  In  addition  to  the  foregoing  structural  improvements 
a  vast  amount  of  time  and  labor  has  been  given  to  the  ornamenting 
of  the  premises,  the  planting  of  trees  and  the  making  of  walks  and 
drives.  In  this  connection  a  large  recreation  ground  in  the  form 
of  a  circle,  150  yards  in  diameter,  was  made  between  the  cottages 
and  the  lake  on  the  western  side,  while  opposite  on  the  eastern 
side  a  park  was  laid  out,  which  will  always  provide  an  attractive 
and  healthy  resort  for  the  population  during  warm  weather.  It 
is  worthy  of  note  that  all  this  work,  as  well  as  the  building 
improvements,  in  the  main  has  been  the  work  of  patients  under 
the  supervision  of  the  various  heads  of  departments  connected 
with  the  hospital  stafif. 

A  training  school  for  nurses  was  organized  in  19 10  and  good 
results  have  been  obtained  from  it,  though,  as  Dr.  Beemer  says, 
its  success  has  been  militated  against  by  constant  changes  in  the 
nursing  stafif;  changes  in  great  measure  due  to  an  all-pervading 
feeling  of  unrest  and  desire  for  change  among  the  employees  that 
has  been  only  too  common  in  all  our  hospitals  during  the  past  10 
or  12  years.^ 

The  total  present  capacity  of  the  establishment  is  600,  while  at 
the  end  of  the  official  year,  in  1914,  the  patients  resident  numbered 
660,  made  up  of  340  men  and  320  women.' 

^  By  law  the  establishment  of  a  system  of  training  for  nurses  is  now 
compulsory  in  all  the  Ontario  insane  hospitals.  A  central  examining 
board,  consisting  of  three  members  selected  by  the  Hon.  Provincial  Secre- 
tary, issues  similar  examination  papers  for  the  various  institutions.  The 
first  examination  under  the  new  system  was  held  in  March,  1910. 

*  This  is  ID  per  cent  above  the  normal  capacity  of  the  hospital,  the  extra 
accommodation  for  60  patients  being  regarded  as  only  temporary  pending 
the  provision  of  room  elsewhere. 


174  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

HOSPITAL  FOR  INSANE. 
Brockville. 

The  site  chosen  for  Brockville  Asylum,  which  was  designed 
to  serve  the  needs  of  the  nine  most  easterly  counties  of  Ontario/ 
was  originally  known  as  the  Pickens  Point  property.  This  con- 
sisted of  190  acres  of  land  bordering  on  the  St.  Lawrence  River 
hard  by  the  town  of  Brockville,  and  the  construction  of  the  first 
building  was  begun  in  1892  under  the  administration  of  the  late 
Hon.  C.  F.  Fraser,  at  that  time  Minister  of  Public  Works  for  the 
province.  Whatever  virtue  may  lie  in  beauty  of  view  can  fairly 
be  claimed  for  the  location  of  this  hospital,  as  it  is  erected  on  a 
point  of  land  some  154  feet  above  the  river,  and  commands  an 
outlook  of  the  majestic  St.  Lawrence  for  miles,  both  to  the  east 
and  west.  The  institution  was  opened  December  ^J,  1894,  by 
the  transfer  of  73  patients  from  Mimico. 

The  grounds  of  the  institution  run  directly  to  the  water's  edge, 
and  no  fairer  site  could  have  been  chosen  for  its  particular 
purpose  than  this  restful  spot  at  the  eastern  end  of  the  fairyland 
known  to  the  world  as  the  Thousand  Islands.  On  the  one  hand 
lies  the  broad,  placid  bosom  of  the  river,  and  on  the  other  the 
matchless  vista  of  the  islands.  Up  the  gentle  slopes  from  the  river 
bank  and  in  harmonious  contrast  to  the  green  lawns  and  terraces 
of  the  park-like  grounds  stand  out  prominently  the  red  brick 
buildings  of  the  hospital. 

The  constructional  features  adopted  were  those  embodied  in 
a  modified  cottage  system  and  an  administration  block.  A  main 
building  for  170  acute  cases  and  six  cottages  for  chronic  cases, 
each  having  a  capacity  of  55  beds,  were  called  for  by  the  original 
plans.  These  various  structures  are  grouped  somewhat  after  the 
shape  of  a  crescent,  the  main  building  forming  the  center  of  the 
convexity.  The  walls  of  all  the  buildings  above  the  basement, 
which  is  built  of  limestone  quarried  on  the  premises,  are  of  cherry- 
colored  pressed  brick,  with  cut  stone  trimmings  and  terra  cotta 
panels  and  ornaments.  The  main  building  is  400  feet  long  and  50 
feet  wide,  with  wings  subsequently  added  for  dining  rooms, 
dormitories  and  day  rooms.    Each  wing  is  divided  into  three  halls, 

^  These  are  Leeds,  Grenville,  Dundas,  Stormont,  Glengarry,  Prescott, 
Russell,  Carleton  and  Lanark. 


ONTARIO  175 

accommodating  in  all  over  300  patients.  In  the  central  part  of  the 
main  building  are  located  the  administration  offices  and  residential 
quarters  of  the  assistant  medical  officers.  Behind  the  offices 
and  connected  therewith  by  a  broad  corridor  are  the  patients' 
quarters,  while  in  the  rear  again  lie  the  kitchen,  storeroom, 
laundry,  bakery,  etc. 

On  each  side  of  the  main  building  are  three  cottages.  The 
three  to  the  east  are  for  women  and  the  three  to  the  west  for  men. 
Each  cottage  has  its  own  dining  room  and  the  meals  are  conveyed 
from  the  main  kitchen  by  a  tramway  at  the  rear.  Provision  has 
been  made  in  the  general  heating  system  in  each  cottage  to  have 
the  plates  heated  for  meals.  Each  cottage  is  divided  into  dormi- 
tories and  single  rooms  and  is  fronted  by  a  capacious  veranda. 
These  cottages  are  attractive  as  to  their  exterior,  are  well  lighted 
from  large  windows  and  the  wards  and  halls  are  made  as  bright 
and  cheerful  as  possible.  They  are  very  comfortable  homes  for 
the  care  of  the  chronic  insane. 

In  1908  and  1910,  respectively,  solar  rooms  of  stone  and  con- 
crete were  built  on  the  male  and  female  sides,  connecting  the 
main  building  with  the  adjacent  cottages.  These  rooms  have 
proved  very  beneficial  as  hospital  wards  and  are  used  at  the 
present  time  for  the  newly  admitted  patients,  where  they  have 
the  benefit  of  ample  light,  fresh  air,  etc.,  and  are  convenient  to 
completely  equipped  hydrotherapeutic  rooms,  which  at  the  same 
time  were  installed  on  both  male  and  female  sides.  A  separate 
room  was  set  aside  for  continuous  baths. 

In  1909  an  assembly  hall,  51  x  100  feet,  of  concrete  and  steel, 
large  enough  to  suit  the  requirements  of  the  institution,  was  com- 
pleted, and  was  formally  opened  by  the  Honorable  W.  J.  Hanna, 
Provincial  Secretary,  in  January,  1910.  This  has  proved  to  be  a 
very  great  benefit  to  the  institution,  not  only  for  church  services, 
but  for  concerts  and  dances  during  the  week ;  directly  under  it  is 
situated  the  stores  department,  into  which  are  received  and  from 
which  are  distributed  on  requisition  all  the  supplies  of  the  insti- 
tution. 

In  1904  a  skating  and  curling  rink  was  built  and  this  was 
enlarged  in  1912,  so  that  it  is  now  very  complete  and  is  of  material 
assistance  in  entertaining  the  patients  during  the  long  winter 
months. 


176  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

In  191 2  the  excavation  was  begun  and  the  foundation  built  of 
a  new  admission  hospital.  The  construction  was  completed  in 
19 1 5,  and  as  soon  as  furnished  it  will  be  ready  for  occupancy. 
This  building  is  200  feet  long  and  about  40  feet  wide,  with  ad- 
ministrative offices  and  residence  for  one  physician  and  trained 
nurse  in  the  central  portion.  A  good  operating  room  has  been 
placed  in  it.  The  better  classification  thus  made  possible  will,  it  is 
confidently  expected,  aid  very  materially  in  the  treatment  of  acute 
cases.  The  capacity  of  the  new  structure  is  for  60  patients,  30 
of  each  sex. 

In  1912  a  room  in  the  central  building  was  reconstructed  so  as 
to  make  a  modern  operating  room.  It  is  now  fully  equipped  with 
all  necessary  appliances  for  operative  surgery,  and  a  large  amount 
of  surgical  work  has  been  done  since  its  completion.  This  will, 
however,  be  supplanted  by  the  new  one  above  referred  to. 

At  a  reasonable  distance  from  the  main  building  commodious 
farm  buildings  are  situated.  There  are  about  170  acres  of  land, 
but  a  great  part  of  this  is  of  rocky  formation  and  is  not  of  much 
use,  except  for  pasturage.  A  portion  near  the  building  is  devoted 
to  gardens  and  these  are  very  productive.  Excellent  greenhouses 
are  located  quite  close  to  the  building. 

In  191 1  and  1912  an  additional  property  for  the  institution,  viz. : 
a  farm  of  320  acres  of  fertile  soil,  situated  about  two  miles  from 
the  hospital,  was  purchased  by  the  government.  This  makes  the 
total  of  land  owned  by  the  institution  about  510  acres.  Nineteen 
miles  of  drains  have  been  put  in  this  new  land,  which  have  greatly 
added  to  its  productivity.  The  buildings  on  these  farms  have  been 
utilized  by  having  some  slight  changes  made  in  them,  so  that  about 
20  patients  are  in  residence  there,  with  a  married  couple  to  take 
charge.  An  additional  building,  a  brick  cottage,  has  been  put  up 
and  occupied,  and  eventually  30  male  and  5  female  patients  will 
be  placed  there  permanently  under  the  direction  of  a  supervisor 
and  his  wife.  New  silos  are  being  built  and  changes  made  in  the 
farm  buildings.  Eventually  this  land  will  become  a  source  of 
revenue  to  the  hospital,  as  many  of  the  daily  requirements  will  be 
produced  there. 


ONTARIO  177 

Training  School  for  Nurses. 

The  first  training  school  was  begun  in  October,  1903,  under  the 
supervision  of  the  late  Dr.  J.  B.  Murphy,  then  medical  superin- 
tendent. A  two-years'  course  was  undertaken  and  it  proved  to  be 
of  great  benefit  to  the  nurses.  A  diploma  was  given  to  the  success- 
ful students  for  training  in  mental  nursing  alone,  signed  by  the 
medical  officers  of  the  hospital.  In  1909  the  school  was  merged, 
in  common  with  the  others  of  the  Ontario  hospitals  for  insane, 
under  a  central  board  of  examiners,  the  course  being  increased  to 
three  years  and  standardized  for  all.  This  excellent  plan  was 
fathered  by  the  Hon.  Provincial  Secretary,  and  worked  out  by 
Mr.  S.  A.  Armstrong,  Deputy  Secretary  of  the  province,  and  Dr. 
R.  W.  Bruce  Smith,  inspector  of  hospitals.  It  has  been  very 
successful  and  a  full  training  course  in  nursing  is  now  given. 
Many  of  the  graduates  have  taken  post-graduate  work  in  other 
hospitals  and  have  proved  themselves  capable  of  filling  high  posi- 
tions in  the  nursing  world.  The  nurses  of  this  hospital  have 
been  greatly  interested  in  the  training  and  have  stood  well  in 
their  provincial  examinations. 

Inspectors. 

The  work  in  all  the  hospitals  has  always  been  very  much  under 
the  direction  of  the  inspectors,  appointed  by  the  provincial  govern- 
ment. Messrs.  R.  Christie  and  Noxon  were  inspectors  at  the  time 
this  hospital  was  opened.  Mr.  Christie  at  that  time  took  a  great 
interest  in  the  work  in.  connection  with  the  hospitals  for  insane. 
He  had  been  for  many  years  in  that  position  and  his  work  was 
very  satisfactory.  In  1905  these  inspectors  were  succeeded  by 
Messrs.  S.  A.  Armstrong  and  E.  R.  Rogers,  the  former  of  whom 
took  a  very  active  part  in  inaugurating  a  new  filing  system  and 
a  new  case-book  system  for  patients.  Mr.  Rogers  has  had  charge 
from  the  time  of  his  appointment  of  the  supplies,  requirements 
and  general  improvements. 

Medical  Officers. 

The  first  superintendent  was  Dr.  J.  B.  Murphy,  a  graduate  of 
Trinity  University,  Toronto,  who  was  for  a  short  time  in  general 
practice  in  Belleville.    He  was  first  appointed  to  the  public  service 

14 


178  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

as  superintendent  of  the  Institute  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  in  that 
city.  He  was  removed  from  Belleville  to  be  made  resident  super- 
intendent of  the  Hospital  for  Insane  which  was  opened  at  Mimico 
in  1890.''  His  practical  adaptability  to  work  in  connection  with 
the  establishment  of  a  new  hospital,  as  evidenced  there,  caused 
him  to  be  made  superintendent  at  Brockville,  and  the  improve- 
ments made  in  his  regime  are  a  lasting  tribute  to  his  memory. 

In  January,  1904,  Dr.  Murphy  died  very  suddenly,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Dr.  Thomas  J.  Moher,  also  a  graduate  of  Trinity  Uni- 
versity, Toronto,  1889,  who  had  been  in  general  practice  in  Trenton 
and  Peterboro  for  some  years  before  entering  the  public  service. 
At  the  time  of  his  appointment  to  succeed  Dr.  Murphy  he  was 
assistant  superintendent  at  Orillia.  He  was  very  energetic  and 
took  a  deep  interest  in  the  work  of  the  institution,  and  carried  on 
and  completed  many  of  the  improvements  inaugurated  by  his  pre- 
decessor. Early  in  his  regime  he  began  what  is  now  the  common 
practice  of  having  a  conference  by  the  medical  staff  on  the  condition 
of  each  patient,  and  he  recognized  the  importance  of  having  a 
comprehensive  history  taken  in  each  case.  During  his  time  the 
solar  rooms  were  built,  hydrotherapeutic  equipment  installed,  a 
bowling  green  and  skating  rink  added  to  the  amusements,  and  the 
general  condition  of  things  very  much  bettered. 

On  the  1st  of  November,  1910,  Dr.  Moher  was  transferred  to  a 
similar  position  at  the  Hospital  for  Insane  at  Cobourg,  and  was 
succeeded  by  Dr.  J.  M.  Forster,  who  had  been  in  the  service  for 
a  number  of  years.  Dr.  Forster  was  a  graduate  of  Toronto  Uni- 
versity. He  had  always  taken  a  great  interest  in  his  work,  par- 
ticularly in  the  study  of  the  mental  condition  of  those  under  his 
care.  At  the  time  of  his  promotion  he  was  assistant  superinten- 
dent at  the  Hospital  for  Insane  at  London.  Dr.  Forster  only  re- 
mained for  six  months,  but  the  work  did  not  lag  under  his  direc- 
tion and  he  prepared  plans  for  the  new  admission  hospital  pre- 
viously mentioned. 

In  May,  191 1,  Dr.  Forster  was  placed  in  the  important  position 
of  superintendent  of  the  Hospital  for  Insane  at  Toronto,  and  Dr. 
J.  C.  Mitchell,  a  graduate  of  Trinity  University,  Toronto,  was 
made  superintendent.  Dr.  Mitchell  had  been  in  general  practice 
in  the  County  of  Durham  for  over  20  years  and  entered  the  public 

*  Vide  History  of  Mimico  Asylum. 


ONTARIO  179 

service  in  1902.  At  the  time  of  his  promotion  he  was  assistant 
superintendent  at  the  Hospital  for  Insane,  Hamilton,  but  had 
previously  occupied  the  post  of  assistant  superintendent  at  this 
hospital  from  October,  1904,  to  November,  1910. 

The  following  have  filled  the  position  of  assistant  superin- 
tendent : 

Dr.  W.  K.  Ross,  graduate  of  McGill  University,  from  the 
opening  of  the  institution,  December,  1894,  until  July,  1900.  He 
is  now  assistant  superintendent  at  the  Hospital  for  Insane,  Lon- 
don. 

Dr.  R.  W.  Bruce  Smith,  graduate  of  Toronto  University,  from 
July,  1900,  until  October,  1904.  Dr.  Smith  is  now  one  of  the 
Inspectors  of  Asylums  for  the  province. 

Dr.  J.  C.  Mitchell,  the  present  superintendent,  from  October, 
1904,  until  November,  19 10. 

Dr.  P.  MacNaughton,  graduate  of  Trinity  University,  from 
November,  1910,  until  May,  191 1. 

Dr.  F.  L.  Neely,  graduate  of  Western  University,  London, 
from  May,  191 1,  until  March,  19 13. 

Dr.  Vrooman,  graduate  of  Toronto  University,  is  at  present 
assistant  superintendent. 

The  population  of  the  institution  at  the  close  of  1914  was  717, 
composed  of  349  men  and  368  women. 

COBOURG  ASYLUM.^ 

Owing  to  the  congested  condition  of  the  then  existing  asylums, 
especially  as  regarded  accommodation  for  women,  the  government 
in  1902  resolved  on  the  location  of  a  new  colony  for  female  chronic 
patients  only  at  the  town  of  Cobourg.  This  institution  was  created 
by  the  purchase  and  conversion  of  Victoria  College,  the  scholastic 
headquarters  of  the  Methodist  denomination  prior  to  federation 
with  Toronto  University,  into  an  asylum  for  the  insane.  The  build- 
ing, beautifully  situated  on  a  high  elevation  overlooking  Lake  On- 
tario, was  remodelled  and  fitted  up  for  the  reception  of  150  patients, 
the  first  contingent  of  whom,  consisting  of  31  transfers  from 
Mimico  and  3 1  from  London  Asylum,  was  admitted  on  January  14, 
1902.     On  the  28th  of  the  same  month,  29  were  received  from 

^Now  Hospital  for  Insane,  Cobourg,  Ont. 


l8o  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE  OF   THE   INSANE 

Toronto  Asylum,  and  on  the  26th  of  the  succeeding  month  (Feb- 
ruary) 40  from  Hamilton  Asylum,  while  on  March  25,  12  were 
transferred  from  Kingston  Asylum.  In  addition,  two  outside 
patients  were  received  on  certificate  by  order  of  the  inspector, 
making  in  all  145  patients  housed  during  the  first  year  of  occu- 
pation. 

The  original  premises,  which  consisted  of  but  a  few  acres,  were 
later  increased  in  size  by  the  purchase  of  some  additional  land  for 
gardening  purposes,  making  the  total  present  area  of  the  property 
II  acres. 

The  first  superintendent  was  Dr.  E.  C.  McNicholl,  of  Cobourg, 
appointed  in  1901,  who  had  as  assistant  Dr.  Harriet  Cockburn,*  of 
Toronto,  who  continued  to  fill  the  position  until  September  30, 
1906.  Dr.  McNicholl  remained  in  office  until  September,  1905, 
when  he  resigned.  During  his  term  much  was  done  toward  com- 
pleting the  organization  of  the  institution  .  A  successor  was  found 
in  the  person  of  Dr.  Charles  E.  Hickey,  who  acceptably  filled  the 
position  up  to  the  date  of  his  sudden  and  unexpected  death,  Sep- 
tember 19,  1908.  Dr.  Hickey  worked  energetically  during  his  too 
short  (three  years)  time  in  charge,  and  in  his  first  report  ^  we 
find  him  urging  that  the  institution  should  be  opened  to  men  as 
well  as  women,  a  separate  building  being  erected  for  the  former, 
in  which  could  be  provided  a  hall  for  amusements  and  religious 
services,  for  neither  of  which  were  there  aught  but  makeshift 
facilities.* 

In  the  spring  of  1904  the  erection  of  a  detached  residence  for 
the  medical  superintendent  was  begun  at  the  corner  of  College 
Street  and  University  Avenue,  a  short  distance  from  the  hospital, 
and  occupied  in  the  autumn  of  the  same  year. 

On  the  death  of  Dr.  Hickey  Dr.  W.  T.  Wilson  was  appointed 
to  the  position  thus  made  vacant.    Dr.  Wilson,  who  assumed  duty 

^  Dr.  Cockburn  was  the  first  female  physician  to  enter  the  Ontario  ser- 
vice. 

^  Thirty-eighth  Annual  Report  of  the  Inspector  of  Prisons  and  Public 
Charities  upon  the  Lunatic  and  Idiot  Asylums  of  the  Province  of  Ontario, 
being  for  the  year  ending  30th  September,  1905,  p.  112, 

'  Dr.  Hickey's  request  was  not  met.  The  building  is  still  occupied  by 
females  only  and  no  assembly  hall  has  been  provided.  It  is  quite  likely 
that  on  the  opening  of  the  new  Whitby  hospital  the  Cobourg  patients  will 
be  transferred  thither. 


ONTARIO  l8l 

in  November,  1908,  had  spent  many  years  in  the  service,  having 
creditably  filled  responsible  junior  places  in  the  asylums  at  Hamil- 
ton, Brockville,  London,  and  Toronto.  In  November,  1910,  on  his 
transfer  to  the  charge  of  the  Penetanguishene  Hospital  for  Insane, 
Dr.  Thomas  J.  Moher,  for  seven  years  previous  medical  super- 
intendent of  the  Brockville  Asylum,  was  named  to  replace  him. 
Dr.  Moher  having  died  in  harness,  February  24,  1914,  the  duties 
of  office  fell  upon  Dr.  George  C.  Kidd,  previously  assistant  phy- 
sician at  Toronto  Hospital,  who  still  remains  in  charge,  as  acting 
medical  superintendent.    Dr.  Kidd  assumed  office  in  March,  1914. 

The  main  advances  made  in  Dr.  Moher's  time  were  the  abolition 
in  191 1  of  the  system  of  locking  the  patients,  all  chronic  and  harm- 
less, in  their  dormitories  at  night,  and  the  starting  in  19 13  of 
lectures  to  the  nurses.  The  former  acceptable  change  was  ren- 
dered possible  by  an  increase  in  the  staff  of  night  nurses  ;  the  latter 
was  a  temporary  expedient,  adopted  preparatory  to  the  formation 
of  a  regular  training  school. 

The  establishment,  which  is  lighted  by  electricity,  the  power 
for  which  as  well  as  the  water  supply  is  furnished  by  the  town  of 
Cobourg,  has  a  capacity  of  160,  with  a  resident  population  of  155, 
at  the  close  of  the  official  year  in  1914. 

PENETANGUISHENE  ASYLUM.^ 

An  Order  in  Council,  made  in  1904,  authorized  the  transforma- 
tion of  the  Reformatory  for  Boys  at  Penetanguishene  into  an 
asylum  for  the  insane.  This,  the  eighth  of  the  Ontario  public 
institutions  for  lunatics,  is  situated  on  Georgian  Bay,  a  portion  of 
Lake  Huron,  in  the  County  of  Simcoe,  two  and  a  half  miles  from 
the  town  of  Penetanguishene,  an  Indian  name  signifying  "  the 
place  of  the  white  rolling  sands,"  It  is  built  on  ground  100  feet 
above  the  water,  and  from  this  picturesque  site  there  is  a  most 
beautiful  view  of  the  bay  and  some  of  the  30,000  islands  which 
dot  its  surface. 

Destined  for  the  reception  of  patients,  male  and  female,  of  the 
chronic  class  only,  its  population  is  made  up  of  transfers  from 
the  older  and  larger  provincial  establishments.*    The  removal  of 

*  Now  officially  named  "  The  Hospital  for  Insane,  Penetanguishene." 
'  A  very  few  acute  cases  have  occasionally  been  received   for  urgent 
reasons. 


l82  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

the  boys,  its  former  occupants,  was  effected  early  in  1904  and 
the  work  of  alteration  and  reconstruction  at  once  begun.  This 
was  rapidly  proceeded  with,  and  on  August  i  of  that  year  the 
building  was  opened  with  accommodation  for  225  patients  in  the 
main  structure,  the  first  quota  of  patients  (50)  being  admitted 
from  Mimico  Asylum  August  16. 

The  buildings,  constructed  of  stone  and  brick,  consist  of  a  large 
granite  center  edifice  used  for  executive  offices,  quarters  for 
female  help,  and  an  amusement  hall ;  while  a  wing  on  either  side, 
also  stone,  with  balconies  at  their  extremities,  is  occupied  by 
female  patients.  In  rear  of  the  main  structure  are  two  brick 
cottages  for  male  patients,  a  laundry,  carpenter  and  bake  shop,  etc. 
Residences  are  provided  for  the  superintendent,  bursar  and  store- 
keeper, also  15  cottages  for  married  employees.  The  single  male 
attendants  sleep  in  a  separate  cottage.  Ample  dining  room  accom- 
modation is  provided  in  two  rooms  for  patients,  while  the  male 
and  female  help  take  their  meals  in  separate  dining  rooms.'' 

Opened  with  a  capacity  of  225,  this  has  since  been  increased  to 
370.  The  additional  accommodation  was  gained  by  the  conver- 
sion, chiefly  made  in  1907,  of  some  of  the  old  reformatory  handi- 
craft buildings  into  dormitories  for  men.*  The  number  of  patients 
in  residence  at  the  end  of  1914  was  equal  to  the  capacity,  being 
made  up  of  166  males  and  204  females. 

In  1909  electric  lighting  was  installed  in  the  institution,  a  power 
house  being  erected  on  the  shore  of  the  bay.  In  1913,  however, 
it  was  found  that  it  would  be  more  economical  to  obtain  power 
for  all  purposes  from  the  Hydro-Electric  Power  Commission 
through  the  town  of  Penetanguishene,  and  the  change  was  accord- 
ingly made. 

For  some  years  water  was  supplied  to  the  hospital  by  Pene- 
tanguishene, but  this  source  proving  not  quite  satisfactory,  in  1914 

*  Under  date  of  June  30,  1915,  Dr.  Wilson,  the  superintendent,  writes: 
"  A  large  frame  building,  formerly  occupied  by  the  assistant  physician,  is 
now  being  remodelled  for  a  nurses'  home,  on  the  completion  of  which  the 
quarters  in  the  main  building  now  devoted  to  the  use  of  nurses  will  be 
fitted  up  for  the  assistant  physician." 

'  Vide  Fortieth  Annual  Report  of  the  Inspector  of  Prisons  and  Public 
Charities  upon  the  Hospitals  for  the  Insane,  Idiotic  and  Epileptic  of  the 
Province  of  Ontario,  for  the  year  ending  31st  December,  1907,  pp.  ix,  174 
and  175. 


ONTARIO  183 

a  pumping  station  was  erected  at  the  extreme  northeast  end  of 
the  hospital  property,  so  that  an  unlimited  quantity  of  water  for 
all  purposes  is  now  obtained  direct  from  Georgian  Bay. 

The  sewage  up  to  June,  1914,  was  run  directly  into  the  bay 
without  being  treated,  but  is  now  distributed  over  the  land. 
Passing  through  trenches,  it  is  collected  by  tile,  and  passed 
through  a  specially  prepared  percolator,  the  result  being  that  only 
a  perfectly  clear,  non-smelling  liquid  is  allowed  to  enter  the  bay. 
In  this  way  all  source  of  danger  by  contamination  of  the  water 
is  removed. 

The  hospital  property  comprises  some  370  acres.  This  is  mostly 
wooded,  but  by  degrees  a  good-sized  farm  is  being  got  under 
cultivation.  At  present,  however,  while  all  vegetables  and  roots 
necessary  are  grown  on  the  premises,  grain  has  to  be  purchased. 

The  establishment  was  opened  on  August  i,  1904,  under  the 
superintendency  of  Dr.  P.  H.  Spohn,  of  Penetanguishene,  a  grad- 
uate of  the  University  of  Victoria  College  in  1869.  On  his  res- 
ignation at  the  close  of  1907  he  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  G.  A. 
MacCallum,  who  was  transferred  from  the  London  Asylum.  In 
November,  1910,  Dr.  MacCallum  having  also  resigned.  Dr.  W.  T. 
Wilson,  the  present  superintendent,  was  transferred  from  the 
superintendence  of  Cobourg  to  assume  charge. 

WHITBY  HOSPITAL. 

The  usefulness  of  the  antiquated  Toronto  Asylum  had  been 
much  lessened  by  the  diminished  area  of  its  property,^  which 
proved  a  barrier  to  the  employment  of  patients  and  by  the  fact 
that  it  had  become  closely  environed  by  the  city  on  all  sides.  In 
addition,  its  retention  in  use  would  necessitate  a  very  large  outlay 
for  the  installation  of  a  modern  heating  plant,  etc.  As  a  result, 
it  was  decided  by  the  government  to  dispose  of  the  remaining 
land,  which  could  be  done  at  an  advantageous  figure,  and  erect  a 
new  structure  elsewhere. 

Immediately  after  the  sale  had  been  arranged  the  department 
of  the  Hon.  Provincial  Secretary  undertook  the  selection  of  a 
new  site  and,  after  a  careful  examination  of  several  properties, 
recommended  the  acquisition  of  a  block  of  land  immediately 

^  Vide  Toronto  Asylum  and  its  branches. 


184  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

adjoining  the  town  of  Whitby,  situated  about  30  miles  east  of 
Toronto  on  the  line  of  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway,  in  the  County 
of  Ontario.  This  property,  which  was  purchased  by  the  province 
in  the  early  part  of  1912,  is  made  up  of  several  farms,  comprising 
in  all  about  640  acres,  bordering  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Ontario 
and  Whitby  Harbor.  The  soil,  which  is  mainly  a  clay,  is  exceed- 
ingly fertile,  while  about  20  acres  of  sandy  loam  are  excellently 
adapted  for  gardening.  Great  natural  beauty,  existing  trees, 
orchards  and  roads,  convenient  railway  and  water  facilities,  all 
emphasize  the  suitability  of  the  site  chosen  for  hospital  purposes. 

The  plans  adopted,  prepared  by  Mr.  Jas.  Govan,  Provincial 
Architect,  provide  for  what  may  be  designated  a  "  hospital  vil- 
lage," where  all  features  that  suggest  detention  will  be  eliminated 
as  far  as  practicable.  The  various  buildings  are  grouped  on  a 
wide,  gentle  slope,  having  the  advantage  of  a  southeastern  ex- 
posure. From  this  situation  are  extensive  open  views  across  Lake 
Ontario  to  the  south  and  Whitby  Harbor  to  the  east;  the  town 
of  Whitby  lies  to  the  north,  and  to  the  west  is  a  prosperous  farm- 
ing country. 

The  general  arrangement  consists  of  three  groups  of  buildings, 
or  "  centers,"  a  hospital  center  and  two  cottage  centers  behind  it, 
one  for  men  and  one  for  women,  but  separated  from  it  by  the 
recreation  and  athletic  grounds. 

The  hospital  center  comprises  an  administration  building  and 
four  hospital  buildings,  with  a  central  kitchen  and  dining  rooms  in 
the  rear.  Two  of  these  structures,  accommodating  63  patients 
each,  will  be  used  as  admission  or  observation  hospitals  and  for 
incipient  cases;  with  these  should  be  included  two  convalescent 
cottages,  accommodating  35  patients  each.  The  other  two  struc- 
tures, each  accommodating  104  patients,  will  provide  for  the 
acute  cases. 

In  this  center  will  be  placed  all  newly  admitted  cases,  all  requir- 
ing special  attention  owing  to  suicidal  tendencies  or  for  any  similar 
reason,  and  all  demanding  ordinary  hospital  treatment  on  account 
of  bodily  or  mental  illness.  In  the  admission  or  observation  hos- 
pitals patients  can  be  received,  cared  for  and  treated,  then,  if 
satisfactory  progress  is  made,  given  a  period  of  probation  in  the 
adjoining  convalescent  cottages,  without  coming  in  contact  with 
cases  of  longer  duration  in  the  institution. 


«_#.- 


ONTARIO  185 

The  cottage  centers  consist  of  two  groups  of  cottages,  accom- 
modating 52  patients  in  each  cottage.  For  each  group  an  in- 
firmary is  provided,  which  will  care  for  all  cases  assigned  to  cot- 
tage centers,  who  require  special  nursing  on  account  of  general 
feebleness  or  bodily  illness.  These  centers  are  intended  to  house 
all  patients  who  do  not  require,  or  who  have  ceased  to  require, 
for  a  time  at  least,  special  medical  treatment — the  more  easily  man- 
aged patients,  the  working  patients,  and  all  likely  to  be  benefited 
by  the  suggestion  of  normal  home  life. 

For  each  hospital  and  cottage  group  a  central  kitchen  is  pro- 
vided with  separate  dining  rooms  attached,  in  order  that  the  classi- 
fication of  patients  arranged  in  the  cottages  may  still  be  main- 
tained at  their  meals. 

This  division  of  the  establishment  into  two  sections,  hospital 
and  cottage,  separates  the  patients  requiring  constant  medical 
attention  and  nursing  from  those  demanding  only  medical  super- 
vision as  regards  personal  hygiene  and  occupation. 

Isolation  hospitals  will  permit  of  the  proper  segregation  of  all 
cases  of  tuberculosis  and  other  diseases  requiring  to  be  isolated 
from  the  general  medical  hospitals. 

A  group  of  cottages,  located  some  distance  from  the  hospital 
and  cottage  centers,  will  provide  superior  accommodation  for 
private  patients,  while  detached  residences  will  be  furnished  for 
the  medical  superintendent  and  his  assistants,  as  well  as  for  trades- 
men and  married  attendants.  A  nurses'  home  and  an  attendants' 
home  have  not  been  forgotten  in  the  planning  as  a  provision  for 
the  comfort  of  single  employees. 

The  amusement  of  the  patients  and  stafif  will  be  catered  to  by 
the  erection  of  a  hall  for  concerts,  dances,  etc.,  a  skating  and 
curling  rink,  a  bowling  alley  and  a  gymnasium,  while  for  religious 
instruction  a  chapel  will  be  constructed. 

The  power  plant,  laundry,  bakery,  workshops,  store,  etc.,  are 
placed  at  some  distance  from  the  residential  portion  of  the  insti- 
tution. 

The  buildings  when  completed  will  have  a  capacity  of  1500, 
and  are  so  planned  that  units  for  500  each  can  be  added  without 
disarranging  the  original  design. 

No  building  for  patients  will  be  more  than  two  stories  high, 
and  all  walls,  partitions,  floors  and  ceilings  will  be  fireproof  in 


l86  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE  OF  THE   INSANE 

construction.  The  foundations  of  all  buildings  will  be  of  con- 
crete, but  walls  and  partitions  above  the  basement  level  will  be 
built  of  concrete  structural  tile.^ 

Gardens  will  be  laid  out  around  the  cottages,  providing  health- 
ful out-of-door  employment  for  patients,  with  desirable  mental 
occupation.  It  is  thought  that  such  garden  surroundings  and  the 
effect  of  trees  and  shrubbery,  so  arranged  that  no  view  will  show 
more  than  one  or  two  cottages,  will  tend  to  create  a  cheerful, 
homelike  atmosphere.  The  extended  system  of  cottages  and 
hospitals  will  necessitate  a  considerable  length  of  roadway  through 
the  property.  While  planned  on  the  score  of  utility,  these  roads 
will  be  laid  out  as  winding  drives,  so  as  to  permit  a  park-like 
development  of  the  immediate  site  of  the  various  buildings. 

Careful  consideration  of  the  special  requirements  in  the  matter 
of  heating  has  resulted  in  the  adoption  of  a  system  of  hot  water 
heating,  under  forced  circulation,  as  being  the  most  efficient  and 
economical.  The  water  will  be  heated  by  exhaust  and  live  steam, 
and  circulated  by  centrifugal  pumps  in  duplicate  to  ensure  con- 
tinuous service.  As  regards  ventilation  it  is  proposed  to  depend 
as  much  as  possible  on  natural  means,  assisted  by  an  indirect 
system  of  supplying  pure,  warmed  air,  with  exhaust  ventilation 
for  use  in  very  cold  weather,  when  the  spontaneous  tendency  will 
be  to  keep  all  windows  closed. 

The  sewerage  system  provides  for  the  convenient  removal  of 
sludge;  bacterial  treatment  through  a  bed  of  crushed  stone  to 
break  up  and  render  inoffensive  the  organic  matter  in  the  liquid ; 
and  finally  chemical  treatment  to  destroy  all  disease-producing 
bacteria.  As  there  are  two  drainage  levels  on  the  site,  it  will 
be  necessary  to  collect  sewage  from  the  lower  level  in  a  sedi- 
mentation chamber  and  pump  it  to  the  main  disposal  plant  for 
treatment  in  contact  beds.  For  this  purpose  an  electric  pump 
will  be  installed,  with  an  alternative  arrangement  whereby  the 
effluent  can  be  pumped  onto  the  land  of  the  farm  for  irrigation 
purposes  in  dry  seasons  if  required. 

On  April  28,  1912,  three  qualified  working  patients,  in  charge 
of  a  carpenter,  were  transferred  from  Toronto  Hospital  to  the 

*  This  tile  will  be  made  at  the  Central  Prison,  Guelph,  Ont.,  whence  also 
will  be  drawn  the  labor,  as  far  as  practicable,  necessary  to  construction, 
the  making  of  roads,  etc.  A  temporary  camp  for  about  100  prisoners,  with 
guards,  has  been  completed. 


ONTARIO  187 

Vanstone  Cottage,  a  structure  already  existing  on  the  recently 
purchased  property.  Such  was  the  beginning  of  the  new  hospital. 
This  transfer  effected,  a  bungalow  was  erected  by  these  patients 
to  accommodate  40  inmates  who  work  on  the  farm  generally. 
Ground  was  broken  for  the  hospital  proper  on  May  6,  191 3,  since 
which  time  work  has  been  going  steadily  on  under  the  personal 
direction  of  Mr.  S.  A.  Armstrong,  Assistant  Provincial  Secretary, 
and  Mr.  James  Govan,  Provincial  Architect,  aided  by  Dr.  Forster, 
medical  superintendent  of  the  Toronto  Hospital,  as  medical  ad- 
viser. 

ORILLIA  ASYLUM. 

The  Orillia  Asylum  for  idiots  was  primarily  located  on  a  plot 
of  13  acres  lying  near  the  northern  boundary  of  the  town  of 
Orillia,  and  on  the  west  shore  of  Lake  Couchiching.^  The  build- 
ing was  originally  intended  for  a  summer  hotel,  but  was  left 
unfinished,  and  was  purchased  in  1859  by  the  Province  of  Can- 
ada, to  be  fitted  up  as  a  branch  lunatic  asylum  in  connection  with 
the  Toronto  institution.  In  i860  plans  were  prepared  for  this 
purpose,  and  the  structure  was  completed  at  a  cost  of  $18,135, 
being  opened  in  1861.'' 

Vacated  by  the  insane  in  1870,  it  was  in  1876  again  fitted  up, 
with  some  additions,  to  accommodate  150  idiots,  and  on  September 
25  of  that  year  was  opened  under  the  superintendence  of  Dr.  J. 
M.  Wallace  for  the  reception  of  this  class  of  patients,  35  of 
whom  were  transferred  to  it  from  the  idiot  department  of  the 
London  Asylum,  together  with  several  of  the  most  pressing  cases 
then  incarcerated  in  gaols,  bringing  the  total  up  to  44.  On 
February  9,  1877,  Dr.  Wallace  having  been  made  medical  super- 
intendent of  Hamilton  Asylum,  Dr.  A.  H.  Beaton,  a  graduate  of 
Victoria  University  College  in  1864,  was  appointed  his  successor. 

The  building  at  this  time  was  a  three-story  brick  one,  having 
a  frontage  of  115  feet  and  a  depth  of  56  feet,  A  wing  added  on 
the  east  side  was  32  feet  by  24  feet,  and  there  was  a  rear  extension 
made  in  the  center,  60  feet  by  24  feet,  for  kitchen  and  laundry 

*Now  Couchiching  Park. 

*  Vide  "  Toronto  Asylum  and  its  Branches  "  and  Twelfth  Annual  Report 
of  the  Inspector  of  Asylums,  Prisons  and  Public  Charities  for  the  Province 
of  Ontario  for  the  year  ending  30th  September,  1879,  p.  47. 


l88  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

purposes.  The  upper  stories  of  these  additions  were  arranged  in 
single  rooms,  20  in  number,  while  the  other  portions  of  the 
structure  were  devoted  to  associate  dormitories,  dining  rooms, 
attendants'  rooms,  bath  rooms,  etc.  The  ground  floor  of  the 
central  building  contained  a  reception  room,  offices  and  officers' 
apartments.  Steam  generated  in  two  boilers  was  the  medium  for 
heating,  and  water  was  pumped  from  the  lake  into  three  tanks 
containing  about  5000  gallons.  Gas  for  lighting  was  made  on  the 
premises. 

Very  soon  the  capacity  of  this  primitive  institution  was  taxed 
to  the  utmost,  and  the  basement  wards  of  the  newly  opened 
Hamilton  Asylum  had  to  be  adapted  to  the  use  of  the  feeble- 
minded. The  room  thus  gained  was  soon  occupied,  however, 
while  applications  continued  to  pour  in.  In  consequence,  another 
hotel,  "  The  Queen's,"  which  was  then  vacant,  was  leased  by  the 
government  and  made  ready  for  the  reception  of  the  idiots  then 
cared  for  at  Hamilton. 

Congestion  was  again  quickly  marked.  The  government,  there- 
fore, in  1885  purchased  a  fresh  site  of  150  acres,  beautifully 
situated  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Simcoe,  about  a  mile  outside  the 
limits  of  Orillia,  and  began  the  erection  of  a  new  establishment 
thereon.  In  November,  1887,  the  boys'  cottage  was  ready,  and 
the  inmates  of  the  former  Queen's  Hotel  were  transferred  to  it, 
while  in  February,  1888,  the  girls'  building  was  finished  and 
filled  from  the  original  structure,  plus  some  cases,  about  30  in 
number,  that  had  been  sent  to  Kingston  Asylum.  In  this  year 
also  the  first  Canadian  training  school  for  feeble-minded  children 
was  started,  with  Miss  M.  B.  Christie  in  charge.^ 

Contracts  for  the  main  edifice  were  let  in  1889,  ^^^  on  April 
I,  1 89 1,  the  original  building  was  once  more  vacated  and  the 
whole  household  transferred  to  its  present  home. 

The  asylum  thus  completed  consisted  of  a  main  building  and 
two  large  three-story  cottages.  The  ground  floor  of  the  former 
was  specially  designed  for  teaching  purposes,  whereby  feeble- 
minded children  could  be  trained  and  improved,  so  far  as  their 
physical  imperfections  and  mental  status  would  permit;  the  first 
and  second  floors  were  devoted  to  dormitories  and  sitting  rooms 
for  the  same  class.    The  main  building  also  contained  the  admin- 

^  This  was  conducted  for  several  years  in  the  original  building. 


ONTARIO  189 

istration  quarters  and  had  an  amusement  hall  sufficiently  large 
to  seat  comfortably  1000  persons.  The  cottages  formed  the  cus- 
todial department  for  adult  idiots  and  those  unfitted  to  attend 
the  school/  All  the  structures  were  of  red  brick,  with  cut-stone 
trimmings. 

In  his  1897  report  we  find  Dr.  Beaton,  Oliver  Twist-like,  asking 
for  "  more."  His  institution,  he  states,  is  filled  and  he  has  over  139 
applications  on  file,  the  claims  for  admission  in  which  cases  were 
being  pressed  urgently  by  friends  and  municipal  authorities.  He 
suggests  three  plans  for  the  remedy  of  this,  the  most  necessary 
of  his  wants.  First,  the  making  of  separate  provision  for  epi- 
leptics, of  whom  he  had  130,  as  was  being  done  in  the  United 
States  and  Europe;  second,  the  erection  of  two  inexpensive  cot- 
tages for  non-working  men  and  women ;  and,  third,  the  purchase 
of  an  additional  farm  on  which  could  be  constructed  a  building 
for  working  patients.  The  doctor  also  advises  the  introduction  of 
electric  light  to  replace  the  gas  in  use,  saying :  "  We  have  so  many 
mischievous  and  irresponsible  boys  that  the  utmost  vigilance  has 
to  be  exercised  to  prevent  accidents.  For  instance,  on  two  oc- 
casions gasoliers  have  been  torn  down  by  epileptic  lunatics,  and 
on  another  occasion  a  boy  was  caught  lighting  a  corn  scrubbing 
brush,  which  he  threw  into  a  sink  when  discovered.     These  are 

^  There  are  two  distinct  branches  to  idiot  asylum  management.  First, 
the  merely  custodial  care  of  adult  idiots,  who  are  unable  to  take  care  of 
themselves  and  have  no  friends  able  or  willing  to  take  care  of  them ;  and, 
second,  the  care  and  training  of  feeble-minded  children,  who  are  thus  in 
some  instances  restored  to  their  friends,  not  cured,  for  that  is  impossible, 
but  so  much  improved  in  intelligence  and  habits  as  to  be  able  to  live  as 
other  people  do,  and  be  little  or  no  burden  upon  those  with  whom  they  are 
to  reside.  In  the  custodial  part  of  the  work  Ontario  was  the  pioneer  on 
this  continent,  little  or  no  heed  having  been  paid  to  this  branch  in  the 
United  States,  where,  however,  special  attention  had  for  years  prior  to  the 
creation  of  the  Ontario  institution  been  given  to  educational  features.  Dr. 
H.  B.  Wilbur  was  the  first  on  the  continent  who  essayed  the  difficult  task 
of  educating  idiots  by  starting  a  private  school  for  feeble-minded  children 
at  Barre,  Mass.,  in  July,  1848.  Subsequently,  he  removed  to  Albany,  N.  Y., 
where  an  experimental  school  was  established.  From  this  resulted  the 
famous  institution  at  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  which  was  built  in  1851,  and  pre- 
sided over  by  its  intelligent  and  benevolent  founder  up  to  May,  1883,  when 
he  was  called  to  his  long  rest.  Many  states  have  since  established  similar 
institutions. 


IQO  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

instances  of  the  danger  from  gas."  ^  Dr.  Beaton  furthermore 
emphasizes  the  urgent  need  for  more  teachers  and  for  trade 
instructors,  as  otherwise  the  institution  would  fail  in  the  chief 
object  had  in  view  when  it  was  organized. 

In  1898  these  requests  were  reiterated,  special  stress  being  laid 
on  the  need  for  increased  room,  the  number  of  applications  on 
file  being  220  as  against  139  at  the  close  of  the  previous  year.' 

In  1902  Dr.  Beaton  urged  the  construction  of  two  cottages 
for  the  custodial  care  of  feeble-minded  women  of  child-bearing 
age,  not  only  as  a  means  of  securing  increased  vacancies  for 
defective  children,  but  as  a  preventive  measure  against  the  in- 
crease of  such.     As  he  cogently  stated: 

There  can  be  no  question  about  the  wisdom  of  this  step,  and  until  some- 
thing of  the  kind  is  done  the  rapid  increase  in  the  number  of  feeble- 
minded will  continue.  But  if  the  600  or  700  feeble-minded  women,  many 
of  whom  are  steadily  adding  to  the  idiotic  and  otherwise  defective  popu- 
lation of  the  province,  were  confined  in  a  custodial  asylum,  the  number  of 
defectives,  paupers,  and  petty  criminals  would  decrease,  and  in  less  than 
one  generation  the  cost  for  maintenance  of  public  institutions  would  be 
greatly  lessened.  These  feeble-minded  women  could  not  only  attend  to  the 
work  of  their  own  cottages,  but  could  be  utilized  in  doing  work  for  the 
institution  in  the  laundry  and  other  domestic  departments.  I  trust,  there- 
fore, that  this  matter  will  receive  the  consideration  which  I  think  its  im- 
portance demands.^ 

The  same  year  (1902)  was  an  important  one  in  the  history  of 
the  asylum,  inasmuch  as  its  close  saw  a  sadly  backward  step  in 
the  discontinuance  of  the  schools,  which  had  been  in  operation 
from  1888.  The  staff  of  teachers  had  been  reduced  to  four,  all 
of  whom  lacked  the  qualifications  necessary  in  the  special  line 
of  training  required,  so  that  this  branch  had  become,  practically, 
a  dead  letter.  It  was,  therefore,  abandoned  for  the  time  being, 
the  superintendent  expressing  the  hope  that  the  schools  would 

*  Annual  Report  of  the  Asylum  for  Idiots,  for  the  year  ending  Septem- 
ber 30,  1897. 

*  In  1899  the  applications  had  increased  to  291,  and  in  1904  to  574,  though, 
as  Dr.  Beaton  states  in  his  report  for  that  year,  "  As  these  applications 
cover  at  least  12  years,  it  would  be  safe  to  say  that  one-half  could  not  be 
found  now,  while  many  of  the  others  are  indifferent  as  to  whether  pro- 
vision is  made  for  their  accommodation  or  not." 

'  Annual  Report  of  the  Medical  Superintendent  of  the  Asylum  for  Idiots, 
Orillia,  for  the  year  ending  September  30,  1902. 


15 


ONTARIO  191 

soon  be  reopened  with  a  capable  staff  of  teachers,  augmented  by 
one  to  give  manual  training-,  so  that  the  institution  might  be 
placed  not  only  on  its  former  popular  footing,  but  far  in  advance. 
The  cause  of  this  retrograde  move  was  in  great  measure  polit- 
ical, as  is  thus  clearly  set  forth  by  Dr.  Beaton  some  years  later, 
viz.,  in  his  annual  report  for  1908 : 

In  the  early  90's  we  had  a  staff  of  eight  teachers  and  the  improvement 
of  the  160  children  under  training  was  most  marked.  Our  exhibit  at  the 
World's  Fair  in  Chicago  ranked  among  the  best  in  the  United  States.  In 
1896,  unfortunately  for  us,  a  change  was  made  in  the  minister  who  had 
charge  of  the  pubHc  institutions.  At  that  time  a  great  cry  was  made  by 
the  Patrons  ^  over  what  they  called  the  extravagant  and  useless  expendi- 
ture in  the  matter  of  salaries  for  all  public  officials,  and  the  local  Patrons 
fell  foul  of  our  training  school,  and  on  the  public  platform  ridiculed  the 
idea  of  teaching  idiots  as  a  useless  labor  and  extravagance.  Since  i8g8  it 
has  been  uphill  work  for  our  school.  The  staff  was  reduced  to  three,  and 
those  not  the  best,  and  so  indifferent  was  the  improvement  that  on  my 
advice  the  schools  were  closed  for  a  time,  with  the  understanding  that  they 
should  be  reopened  in  a  few  months  with  thoroughly  trained  and  efficient 
teachers. 

I  was  authorized  to  select  from  one  of  the  best  institutions  in  the  United 
States  a  capable  principal.  One  who  had  received  the  training  in  Sweden 
was  selected  and  was  very  highly  recommended  by  Dr.  Barr,  of  Elwyn. 
She  was  advised  of  her  appointment,  but  as  soon  as  it  became  known  that 
she  was  a  native  of  Philadelphia  some  few  persons  interviewed  the  govern- 
ment and  induced  the  minister  to  cancel  the  appointment,  which  he  did. 

In  1903  one  of  Dr.  Beaton's  early  expressed  desires  was  met 
by  the  installation  of  electricity  as  a  means  of  supplying  light 
and  power.  Not  only  were  the  various  buildings  and  grounds 
lighted  thereby,  but  the  pumps,  laundry  machinery  (including 
the  ironing  department)  and  sewing  machines  in  the  seamstress' 
and  tailor's  shop  were  run  by  it. 

Happily  to  the  advantage  and  for  the  good  name  of  the  prov- 
ince, 1904  saw  the  resumption  of  the  instruction  and  training  of 
the  children.  As  the  superintendent  jubilantly  remarks  in  his 
report  for  that  year : 

During  the  summer  about  one-half  of  the  children  have  been  placed 
under  two  teachers  in  primary  work,  physical  culture  and  manual  training 
and  it  is   gratifying  to  report  that  excellent  results  are  being  obtained 

*  This  refers  to  a  political  organization  denominated  "  The  Patrons  of 
Industry." 


192  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

from  their  efforts.  It  is  not  to  be  expected,  however,  that  so  small  a  staff 
can  accomplish  all  that  should  be  aimed  at  in  a  large  institution  like  ours. 
Two  or  three  more  capable  instructors  should  be  added  for  different  in- 
dustrial lines.  As  it  is  now  the  children  are  only  instructed  for  a  part  of 
the  day,  classes  having  to  alternate. 

In  the  same  and  in  the  1905  report  the  purchase  of  additional 
land  was  urged,  the  herd  of  cows  being  so  large  that  pasturage 
had  to  be  rented.  As  therein  set  forth,  the  area  of  the  property 
consisted  of  only  175  acres,  40  of  which  were  taken  up  by  build- 
ings and  ornamental  grounds,  20  by  gardens,  35  by  cultivated 
farm  land,  while  25  consisted  of  groves  and  bush.  The  remaining 
55  were  used  as  pasture.  The  100  or  more  adjoining  acres,  the 
purchase  of  which  was  proposed,  included  40  acres  of  valuable 
bush,  while  the  whole  could  be  brought  into  profitable  use,  the 
soil  varying  from  sandy  loam  to  clay. 

On  August  I,  1 9 10,  Dr.  Beaton,  who  had  capably  discharged 
the  duties  of  superintendent  from  the  time  of  the  establishment 
of  the  old  asylum  at  Orillia,  that  is,  for  a  period  of  over  33 
years,  retired  from  the  service.  On  his  retirement  a  new  system  of 
management  was  inaugurated,  a  layman,  Mr.  J.  P.  Downey,  being 
appointed  superintendent,  with  Dr.  W.  C.  Herriman,  previously 
assistant  superintendent  of  Toronto  Hospital,  as  medical  director. 

In  April,  191 1,  a  material  advance  was  made  in  the  development 
of  the  institution  by  the  purchase  of  additional  land.  This  in- 
cluded what  was  known  as  the  Scott  place,  lying  between  the 
institution  and  the  town  of  Orillia,  112  acres  in  extent;  a  portion 
of  the  Dunn  property  adjoining,  consisting  of  164  acres;  and  a 
plot  of  three  acres  at  the  northeastern  corner  of  the  garden.  The 
total  area  of  the  property  was  thus  increased  to  456  acres.  Fur- 
ther advances  made  during  the  same  year  were  the  improvement 
of  the  water  supply  by  the  utilization  of  a  number  of  springs 
located  on  the  Dunn  property  and  the  establishment  of  a  well- 
equipped  laboratory. 

The  urgent  necessity  for  increased  accommodation  was  yearly 
becoming  more  clearly  apparent.  The  population  of  the  institu- 
tion was  nearly  100  in  excess  of  its  normal  capacity,  while  over 
200  applications  were  on  file,  many  of  them  of  a  deserving  and 
distressing  character.  In  consequence,  the  erection  of  a  new  cot- 
tage for  women,  capable  of  housing  nearly  200  patients,  was 


ONTARIO  193 

begun  in  the  summer  of  191 2  to  be  ready  for  occupancy  by  the 
autumn  of  1914,  while  a  similar  building  for  men  is  to  be  com- 
pleted this  year  (1915).  With  these  additions  the  capacity  of 
the  institution  will  be  increased  to  1200. 

Since  their  re-establishment  the  schools  have  continued  to  pro- 
gress steadily  onward,  and  the  same  is  the  case  with  the  industrial 
department  which  has  been  organized.  As  Mr.  Downey  writes 
in  his  report  last  published,  that  for  1913: 

More  and  more  the  value  of  the  industrial  training  of  the  feeble-minded 
is  borne  in  upon  us.  The  field  of  labor  in  which  this  class  can  be  trained 
to  perform  useful  service  is  not  so  circumscribed  as  might  at  first  appear. 
Among  girls  needlework  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  beneficial  occu- 
pations. From  the  sewing-classes  to  the  sewing-room,  where  all  the  knit- 
ting and  seamstress  work  for  the  female  side  of  the  hospital  is  performed, 
our  girls  are  graduated  and  many  of  them  acquire  a  remarkable  degree  of 
neatness  and  thoroughness.  We  have  girls  who  grade  low  in  the  mental 
scale  and  yet  are  capable  of  executing  the  most  beautiful  embroidery. 
Sewing  as  an  occupation  is  not  so  popular  nor  so  easily  developed  among 
the  boys.  In  our  tailor-shop,  however,  we  have  some  lads  who  can  make 
a  plain  garment  very  nicely,  and  they  take  great  pride  in  their  work.  Mat 
making,  weaving  and  basketry,  etc.,  are  lines  of  work  which  the  feeble- 
minded take  up  very  readily.  Once  the  fingers  are  trained  to  follow  a  pat- 
tern or  go  through  a  series  of  movements  the  mastery  of  more  difficult 
and  intricate  combinations  can  be  accomplished  by  easy  gradations. 

Outside  employment  must  take  first  place  in  the  industrial  economy  of 
an  institution  such  as  ours.  The  boys  from  the  construction  work,  from 
the  garden,  the  fields,  the  bush  and  the  stables  are  the  healthiest  and  the 
most  contented.  They  swing  through  their  day's  work  in  a  cheerful  man- 
ner and  at  night  they  are  tired  and  happy.  Holidays  and  the  days  when 
weather  conditions  prevent  outside  work  are  productive,  I  believe,  of  more 
trouble  in  the  wards  than  all  the  other  days  of  the  year  put  together. 


HOSPITAL  FOR  EPILEPTICS. 

Woodstock. 

The  province  of  Ontario,  while  not  backward  in  its  care  of  the 
insane  and  defective  among  its  population,  had  made  no  special 
provision  for  its  epileptic  patients,  other  than  that  afforded  by 
insane  asylums,  up  to  the  year  1905.  Many  of  these,  although 
housed  in  the  hospitals  for  insane,  were  considered  not  to  be 
mentally  astray.  It  was  felt  that  an  institution  adapted  to  their 
needs,  where  regulated  treatment,   including  a  special  dietary, 


194  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

suitable  employment  and  recreation  for  them  could  be  supplied, 
and  to  which  the  public  could  be  induced  to  send  sufferers  from 
this  disorder  ere  actual  mental  disability  had  manifested  itself, 
would  mark  a  step  forward  in  the  humanitarian  work  of  Canada's 
greatest  province. 

Accordingly,  by  act  of  the  Provincial  Parliament  "  The  Hos- 
pital for  Epileptics  "  at  the  City  of  Woodstock  came  into  being/ 
Not  unwisely  the  government  avoided  laying  any  great  stress 
upon  the  probability  of  epilepsy  being  associated  with  mental 
defect,  although  sub-sections  of  the  act  set  forth  that  no  person 
should  be  received  into  the  hospital  without  certificates  from 
two  medical  practitioners,  asserting  after  due  examination  he  was 
an  epileptic ;  further,  such  certificates  were  sufficient  authority 
to  any  person  to  convey  a  patient  to  the  hospital  as  well  as  to  the 
authorities  thereof  to  there  detain  him.  The  control  of  the  insti- 
tution was  vested  in  the  Provincial  Secretary's  department,  and 
only  patients  resident  in  the  province  were  to  reap  the  benefits 
of  its  care.  The  original  rate  for  maintenance  was  fixed  at  $3 
per  week,  later  increased  to  $3.50  by  an  Order  in  Council,  this 
to  be  paid  by  the  patient's  relatives  or  friends  where  able. 

The  property  acquired  for  the  new  hospital,  lying  near  Wood- 
stock, in  Oxford  County,  a  city  of  10,000  inhabitants,  consisted  of 
100  acres,  added  to  in  1906  by  the  purchase  of  an  adjoining  farm 
of  102  acres,  and  further  increased  in  1913  by  an  additional  116 
acres,  making  the  total  area  of  the  hospital  land  at  the  present 
time  318  acres.  Fifteen  acres  are  taken  up  with  well-kept  lawns, 
some  20  acres  being  apportioned  for  garden  purposes,  and  the 
remainder  to  the  farm  and  allied  needs. 

The  plans  for  the  institution  comprised  an  administration  build- 
ing and  a  cottage  on  either  side  for  male  and  female  patients, 
respectively,  each  having  accommodation  for  52.  The  wards 
were  opened  to  receive  patients  in  1906,  the  first  being  admitted 
on  April  22  of  that  year. 

In  1907  two  more  cottages  were  erected,  increasing  the  capacity 
of  the  hospital  to  166  patients  all  told  by  the  year  1908. 

Each  cottage  has  its  own  heating  plant  and  kitchen,  while  a 
special  room  in  each  is  reserved  for  the  physically  infirm ;  the 

^  Vide  acts  relating  to  prisons,  hospitals  and  charitable  institutions,  On- 
tario, 1914,  said  act  being  cited  "  The  Hospitals  for  Epileptics  Act." 


ONTAEUO  195 

apportionment  of  nurses  to  patients  is  about  i  to  15,  each  build- 
ing being-  provided  with  four  day  nurses  and  one  night  nurse. 
The  nurses  are  given  a  three-years'  training,  leading  to  a  diploma 
furnished  by  the  provincial  government  on  the  successful  com- 
pletion of  the  course. 

The  lines  of  treatment  followed  in  the  hospital  are  fully  abreast 
of  the  latest  scientific  knowledge  of  the  disease.  They  include 
both  medical  and  moral  measures ;  under  the  former  head  care- 
ful examination  and  the  therapeutics  indicated,  supplemented  by 
baths  of  various  kinds,  for  which  there  is  ample  equipment,  to- 
gether with  special  attention  to  the  dieting  of  the  patient,  may 
be  mentioned ;  while  under  the  latter,  congenial  outdoor  occu- 
pation on  the  farm,  and  in  the  gardens,  with  a  judicious  admix- 
ture of  recreation,  are  some  of  the  methods  used  to  cure,  and 
failing  that,  adequately  to  care  for  the  unfortunate  sufiferer 
from  epilepsy.  Carpentering  and  work  in  the  engineer's  depart- 
ment also  play  a  part  as  occupational  features. 

Dr.  J.  J.  Williams,  a  graduate  of  Toronto  University  in  1893, 
was  appointed  medical  superintendent  of  the  hospital  on  its  open- 
ing, and  still  remains  at  the  head  of  its  affairs. 

At  the  close  of  the  statistical  year  October  31,  1913,  there  were 
in  residence  211  patients — 105  men  and  106  women. 

It  is  interesting  to  observe  that  in  the  various  annual  reports  of 
the  institution,  as  made  by  the  medical  superintendent,  the  note 
struck  is  one  of  cheerfulness  and  optimism.  Since  opening  nearly 
50  patients  have  been  reported  as  showing  a  most  marked  im- 
provement and  surcease  from  the  epileptic  attacks,  the  period 
of  immunity  from  convulsions  ranging  from  a  few  months  in 
some  cases  to  upwards  of  three  years  in  others,  this,  too,  where 
attacks  occurred  frequently  every  week  prior  to  admission. 

HOMEWOOD  RETREAT. 

Homewood  Retreat,  the  first  purely  private  asylum  in  the 
province  of  Ontario,  and,  in  fact,  in  Canada,  was  founded  in 
the  City  of  Guelph  in  1883,  and  opened  January  i,  1884.  There- 
tofore people  willing  and  able  to  pay  for  superior  accommodation 
had  been  obliged  to  send  their  afflicted  relatives  to  private  insti- 
tutions in  the  United  States.    Cognizant  of  this  fact,  a  few  gentle- 

16 


196  IXSTITUTIOXAL    CARE    OF    THE    INSANE 

men,  including  the  late  ^Ir.  J.  W.  Langmuir  and  the  late  Mr.  E.  A. 
Meredith  Cboth  former  inspectors  of  asylums)  organized  them- 
selves into  a  body  corporate  and,  under  the  title  of  the  "  Home- 
wood  Retreat  Association  of  Guelph,"  applied  to  the  government 
for  a  license  to  maintain  a  "  private  asylum  for  the  insane  and 
hospital  for  inebriates."  This  was  granted  under  the  provisions 
of  the  amended  act  regarding  private  asylums. 

A  beautifully  wooded  property  of  19  acres  having  been  pur- 
chased on  the  outskirts  of  the  City  of  Guelph,  a  fine  stone  man- 
sion, '■  the  Guthrie  Homestead.'"  standing  thereon,  was  altered 
and  added  to  so  as  to  provide  suitable  accommodation  for  50 
patients,  25  of  each  sex.  The  institution  was  placed  in  charge 
of  the  late  Dr.  Stephen  Lett,  for  13  years  assistant  superinten- 
dent of  the  ]\Ialden,  London  and  Toronto  asylums,  with  the  late 
and  venerable  Dr.  Joseph  Workman  as  consulting  physician. 

The  institution  carried  on  its  work  under  Dr.  Lett  with  varied 
fortunes  until  the  fall  of  1901,  when  the  doctor  had  to  retire 
owing  to  ill  health.  Thereupon  the  Board  of  Directors  invited 
Dr.  A.  T.  Hobbs.  an  1890  graduate  of  Toronto  L'niversity,  who 
had  been  an  assistant  in  the  London  Asylum  for  the  previous  10 
years,  to  take  charge  of  the  establishment  in  January,  1902. 

Shortly  after  Dr.  Hobbs"  accession  to  office  the  directors,  in 
consultation  with  him,  decided  to  apply  for  an  Order  in  Council 
to  change  the  name  of  "  Homewood  Retreat  ""  into  that  of  "  Home- 
wood  Sanitarium,'"  as  the  trend  of  modern  feeling  demanded  the 
abolition  of  the  word  "  retreat ""  or  "  asylum  "'  as  applied  to  hos- 
pitals for  the  treatment  of  mental  and  allied  ailments. 

The  institution,  now  the  Homewood  Sanitarium,  under  Dr. 
Hobbs'  management,  grew  rapidly,  and  the  board  soon  found  it 
necessar}-  to  spend  8150,000  in  providing  increased  accommoda- 
tion. Two  additional  new  and  beautiful  stone  buildings  were 
accordingly  opened  in  the  summer  of  1907  for  the  reception  of 
patients. 

On  January  6,  191 1.  owing  to  defective  wiring  in  the  original 
Guthrie  Homestead,  a  fire  took  place  destroying  that  building, 
together  with  the  wards  that  had  been  added  to  it.  Unfortunately 
all  the  early  records  of  the  institution  were  destroyed  in  the 
conflagration.  The  directors  met  at  once  and  decided  to  erect  in 
its  stead  a  series  of  buildings  of  the  most  modern  type  as  regards 


ONTARIO  197 

architectural  design  and  fittings.  To  carry  out  plans  for  a  com- 
plete institution  the  ground  area  was  increased  to  50  acres,  and 
the  new  buildings  were  ranged  along  the  top  of  a  hill  overlooking 
the  River  Speed.  As  now  constituted,  they  comprise  a  series  of 
very  handsome  structures  with  all  modern  equipment,  providing 
complete  classification  for  mental,  nervous  and  habit  patients. 
From  east  to  west  the  buildings  are  placed  as  follows : 

1.  Manor  building  for  convalescent  mental  and  habit  women. 

2.  Administration  building. 

3.  Manor  building  for  convalescent  mental  and  habit  men. 

4.  Kitchen  and  dining  hall. 

5.  Colonial  building  for  mild  mental  patients. 

6.  Vista  building  for  chronic  mental  patients. 

7.  Bungalow  for  acute  mental  patients. 

To  the  dining  rooms,  located  in  the  hall,  access  is  obtained  from 
the  other  buildings  by  covered  passages.  Here  also  is  a  series 
of  studios  for  art  and  handicraft  work,  including  leather  work, 
metal  work,  basket  weaving,  construction  work,  carpentry,  book- 
binding, etc. 

The  establishment  has  accommodation  for  150  patients — 70  men 
and  80  women — the  average  number  of  patients  under  treatment 
being  120. 

The  staflf  consists  of  four  regular  physicians,  one  clinical  phy- 
sician and  60  nurses. 

By  law,  the  "  Retreat  "  is  subject  to  inspection  by  the  Inspector 
of  Public  Asylums  for  the  province,  as  well  as  by  a  local  board  of 
visitors,  of  whom  the  county  judge  is  chairman. 

The  insane  are  admitted  only  upon  medical  certificates  as  pre- 
scribed by  statute,  but  inebriates  and  drug  habitues,  as  well  as 
neurotic  patients,  can  be  received  upon  their  written  voluntary 
application. 

That  the  sanitarium,  which  is  still  under  the  superintendence 
of  Dr.  Hobbs,  supplies  a  want  in  the.  province  of  Ontario,  is 
evidenced  by  the  many  who  have  availed  themselves  of  its  exis- 
tence, as  also  by  the  good  results  of  its  treatment. 


198  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF    THE    INSANE 


SIMCOE  HALL  SANITARIUM. 
Barrie,  Ont. 

This  sanitarium,  the  second  purely  private  hospital  for  border- 
land or  mild  cases  of  mental  disease  to  be  established  in  the 
Province  of  Ontario,  opened  its  doors  on  July  6,  1912,  for  the 
reception  of  patients.  Its  afifairs  are  vested  in  a  Board  of  Direc- 
tors, of  whom  the  medical  superintendent  is  managing  director, 
Mr.  J.  Quincy  Adams  being  president.  Well  financed  by  a  stock 
company,  its  charter  is  granted  from  the  provincial  government 
of  Ontario,  and  it  is  subject  to  periodical  inspection  by  the  Inspec- 
tor of  Asylums  for  the  province. 

The  building,  three  stories  in  height,  with  a  capacity  for  26 
patients,  and  modernly  equipped  for  the  work  it  has  to  do,  is 
situated  most  favorably  on  an  elevation  of  land,  one-third  of  a 
mile  distant  from  Lake  Simcoe,  which  lies  some  62  miles  north 
of  the  City  of  Toronto.  Although  actually  within  the  limits  of 
Barrie,  Ont.,  a  town  of  7000  population,  it  lies  well  on  the  out- 
skirts and  the  broad  reaches  of  Kemperfeldt  Bay,  an  arm  of 
the  lake,  to  the  north,  a  range  of  hills  to  the  west,  and  the  well- 
cared  for  hospital  grounds  of  some  13  acres,  leave  little  to  be 
desired  as  to  scenery  or  situation ;  artesian  wells  are  the  source 
of  its  water  supply. 

The  building  is  heated  by  hot  water,  and  the  spacious  veran- 
das and  sun  parlors  are  numerous  and  well  arranged ;  a  com- 
pletely equipped  hydrotherapeutic  and  electrotherapeutic  appara- 
tus is  included  among  the  aids  to  treatment,  while  outdoor  and 
indoor  recreation  has  been  made  a  feature.  At  the  end  of  1914 
there  were  22  patients  in  residence. 

Dr.  W.  C.  Barber,  a  graduate  of  Toronto  University,  '88,  for 
many  years  in  the  psychiatric  service  of  Ontario  hospitals  for 
insane,  and  assistant  superintendent  at  Rockwood  Hospital,  Kings- 
ton, for  some  years,  is  medical  superintendent. 


ONTARIO  199 

APPENDIX  A. 

Office  of  the  "  British  Colonist,"  Toronto, 
Monday,  August  24,  1846. 

GRAND  public  DEMONSTRATION  ;  LAYING  OF  THE  FOUNDATION  STONE 
of  the  PROVINCIAL  LUNATIC  ASYLUM  BY  HIS  LORDSHIP  THE 
CHIEF  JUSTICE  OF  UPPER  CANADA,  AT  TORONTO,  ON  SATURDAY, 
THE  22D  AUGUST,   1846. 

The  anxiety  evinced  by  the  pubHc  for  the  particulars  of  the 
interesting  proceedings  on  Saturday  has  induced  us  to  anticipate 
our  regular  publication  and  issue  the  present  extra  to  our  city 
subscribers. 

The  morning  of  Saturday  was  dull  and  unpromising  for  the 
ceremony  appointed  for  half  past  two  ;  towards  noon,  however,  the 
sun's  gladdening  beams  brightened  all  around  and  before  the 
appointed  hour  a  large  concourse  of  people  were  gathered  at  the 
rendezvous — the  old  Government  House.  Shortly  after  3,  Mr. 
Denison  having  completed  his  arrangements  in  marshaling  the 
several  bodies,  the  procession  moved  towards  the  site  of  the  build- 
ing in  the  following  order  : 

PROGRAMME. 

Two  Policemen, 

Band  of  the  8ist  Regiment, 

Fire  Companies  (in  their  own  order,  Juniors  first), 

St.  George's  Society, 

St.  Patrick's  Society, 

Magistrates  and  Sheriff, 

Municipal  Council  and  Warden  of  the  Home  District, 

Corporation  and  Mayor  of  the  City  of  Toronto, 

Builder,  Architect,  and  Clerk  of  Works, 

The  Chief  Justice, 

Commissioners  and  Secretary, 

The  Clergy, 

Judges  of  the  Court  of  Queen's  Bench  and  Members  of  the  Bar, 

Members  of  the  Medical  Profession, 

Odd  Fellows'  Society, 

Inhabitants, 

Two  Policemen, 

Marshal,  Richard  L.  Denison,  Esquire. 

On  the  route,  the  splendid  band  of  the  81st  Regiment  per- 
formed some  of  the  most  spirit-stirring  airs. 


200  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

The  several  national  societies  were  attended  by  their  standard 
bearers,  as  were  the  members  of  the  Odd  Fellows'  Society. 

His  Lordship  the  Chief  Justice  having  arrived  at  the  stone,  at 
the  northeastern  angle  of  the  buildings,  and  being  surrounded  by 
the  mayor,  the  judges,  the  commissioners,  the  sheriff's  deputy, 
R.  Beard,  Esq.,  Mr.  J.  G.  Howard  then  placed  in  a  cavity  beneath 
the  stone  a  copy  of  Rowsell's  Almanac  for  1846,  Brown's  City 
Directory,  a  copy  of  the  last  issue  of  the  British  Colonist  and  each 
of  the  other  city  journals ;  i  sovereign,  i  half  sovereign,  i  crown, 
a  half  crown,  a  shilling,  a  sixpence,  a  groat,  and  one  penny  and  a 
half  penny  of  Victoria's  reign ;  two  old  penny  pieces,  an  old 
shilling  of  the  reigns  of  George  H  and  George  HI,  a  written 
account  of  the  last  examination  at  Upper  Canada  College,  and  two 
lithographic  views  of  the  old  school  house  at  Cornwall,  placing 
over  all  a  plate,  on  which  was  inscribed : 

THIS  CORNER  STONE 

Of  the  first  building  erected  in  Western  Canada  for  the  reception  of 

INSANE  AND  LUNATIC  PERSONS, 

Under  the  direction  and  Superintendence  of 

The  Honourable  Robert  Sympson  Jameson, 

Vice  Chancellor, 

Hamilton  Hartley  Killaly,  Esquire, 

Henry  Sherwood,  Esquire,  Q.  C,  M.  P.  P., 

The  Honourable  Christopher  Widmer,  Surgeon, 

John  King,  M.  D.,  Professor  of  Medicine 

University  of  King's  College,  Toronto ; 

John  Ewart,  Esquire, 

James  Grant  Chewitt,  Esquire, 

William  Henry  Boulton,  Esquire,  M.  P.  P., 

Mayor  of  the  City  of  Toronto, 

William  R.  Beaumont,  Esq.,  F.  R.  C.  S.  E.,  etc.. 

Professor  of  Surgery, 

University  of  King's  College,  Toronto, 

William  Botsford  Jarvis,  Esquire,  sheriff  of  the 

Home  District, 

Commissioners  appointed  for  the  purpose  by 

His  Excellency  the  Right  Honourable 

CHARLES  THEOPHILUS.  BARON  METCALFE, 

then  Governor-General  of  the  Province, 

Under  the  provisions  of  an  Act  of  the  Legislature 

of  the  Province  of  Upper  Canada, 

passed  in  the  second  year  of  the  reign  of 


ONTARIO  20 1 

HER  MOST  GRACIOUS  MAJESTY  QUEEN  VICTORIA, 

was  laid  by 

The  Honourable  John  Beverley  Robinson, 

Chief  Justice  of  the  Province  of  Upper  Canada, 

in  the  presence  of  , 

The  Clergy, 

The  Judges  and  Bar  of  the  Province, 

The  Members  of  the  Medical  Profession, 

The  Mayor  and  Corporation  of  the  City  of  Toronto, 

The  Sheriff,  Magistrates,  Warden  and  Municipal 

Council  of  the  Home  District, 

The  National  Societies  of 

St.  George,  St.  Andrew  and  St.  Patrick, 

The  Odd  Fellows'  Society, 

The  Volunteer  Fire  Companies, 

and 

The  Inhabitants  of  Toronto  Generally, 

on  the 

22nd.  day  of  August,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord, 

1846; 

And  the  Tenth  year  of  the  Reign  of 

Her  Most  Gracious  Majesty, 

QUEEN  VICTORIA; 

His  Excellency  Lieutenant-General  the  Right  Hon. 

CHARLES  MURRAY  EARL  CATHCART, 

being 

Governor-General  of  British  North  America, 

and  Commander  of  the  Forces  therein. 

The  plan  and  elevations  of  the  building, 

prepared  by 

John  G.  Howard,  Esquire,  Architect, 

were,  after  mature  deliberation  and  great  care  for 

the  health,  comfort,  security  and  restoration 

under  Divine  Providence 

of  the  unfortunate  beings  for  whom 

this  Asylum  is  erected 

adopted  by  the  Commissioners  and  carried  into 

effect  upon  this  site  of  fifty  acres  of  land, 

munificently  granted  by 

Her  Majesty's  Government 

for  this  humane  purpose. 

Builder, 

Mr.  John  Ritchey. 

Secretary  to  the  Commissioners, 

Charles  Daly. 

Marshal  of  the  day,  Richard  L.  Denison,  Esq. 


202  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

Mr.  Howard  then  presented  His  Lordship  with  a  splendid  silver 
trowel,  manufactured  by  our  townsman,  Mr.  J.  G.  Joseph,  bearing 
the  following  inscription : 

Presented  to 

THE  HONOURABLE  CHIEF  JUSTICE  ROBINSON 

on  his  laying  the  corner  stone  of  the 

Provincial  Lunatic  Asylum,  Toronto, 

by 

The  Hon.  R.  S.  Jameson,  Vice  Chancellor, 

Hamilton  H.  Killaly,  Esq.,  Commissioner  Board 

of  Works, 

Henry  Sherwood,  Esq.,  Q.  C,  M.  P.  P., 

The  Hon.  C.  Widmer,  Surgeon, 

John  King,  M.  D.,  Professor  of  Medicine,  King's 

College,  Toronto, 

John  Ewart,  Esquire, 

James  G.  Chewitt,  Esq., 

William  H.  Boulton,  Esq.,  M.  P.  P.,  Mayor  of  the 

City  of  Toronto, 

William  R.  Beaumont,  Esq.,  F.  R.  C.  S.  E.,  Professor 

of  Surgery,  King's  College,  Toronto, 

William  B.  Jarvis,  Esq.,  Sheriff,  H.  D., 

Commissioners  for  erecting  the  building, 

John  G.  Howard,  Esq.,  being  the  Architect; 

Mr.  John  Ritchey,  the  Builder ; 

Charles  Daly,  Esq.,  Secretary  to  the  Commissioner. 

Toronto,  August  22nd, 

1846. 


THE  CARE  OF  THE  INSANE  IN  PRINCE  EDWARD 

ISLAND. 

FALCONWOOD  HOSPITAL/ 

Prince  Edward  Island  was  in  all  probability  sighted  by  Cabot 
in  1497,  but  really  discovered  by  Cartier  in  1534,  and  named  by 
him  Isle  St.  Jean.  It  was  settled  by  the  French  about  1719,  but 
ceded  by  France  to  Great  Britain  in  1763. 

In  1769  the  island  became  a  separate  British  colony,  but  its 
first  legislative  assembly  was  not  convened  until  July  7,  1773. 

By  an  act  of  the  Legislature,  passed  in  1799,  the  name  of  the 
island  was  changed  to  that  it  now  bears,  the  reason  assigned  for 
the  change  being  that  three  St.  Johns  in  such  close  proximity, 
viz.,  St.  John,  N.  B.,  St.  John  Island,  and  St.  John's,  Newfound- 
land, gave  rise  to  mistakes  and  inconvenience  in  postal  matters, 
etc. 

In  the  earlier  years  no  reference  is  found  in  regard  to  lunatic 
persons  or  paupers,  or  to  any  appropriations  from  the  public 
funds  toward  their  maintenance  or  safekeeping.  By  the  year 
1820,  however,  small  amounts  were  granted  to  some  specially 
needy  cases.  In  1828  the  report  of  the  Public  Accounts  Com- 
mittee shows  that  the  sum  of  iii8,  19s.  and  4d.  (then  no  small 
part  of  the  revenue)  had  been  spent  in  support  of  lunatics  and 
other  indigent  persons  during  the  previous  year. 

The  first  attempt  to  deal  in  a  general  and  adequate  manner 
with  the  care  and  protection  of  the  insane  is  found  in  the  follow- 
ing resolution  of  the  House  of  Assembly,  adopted  April  9,  183 1. 
On  motion  of  Mr.  Owen  (one  of  the  members  for  Queen's 
County),  it  was 

Resolved,  That  it  be  referred  to  a  select  committee  to  inquire  into  the 
expediency  of  making  legislative  provision  for  the  care  of  insane  persons, 
and  to  report  their  opinion  as  to  the  best  mode  of  carrying  that  object  into 
effect. 

It  was  ordered  that  Messrs.  Cameron,  Owen,  J.  S.  Macdonald, 
Green   and   Compton  be   a   committee    for   that   purpose.      Mr. 

'  We  are  indebted  for  this  sketch  of  the  care  of  the  insane  in  Prince 
Edward  Island  and  of  its  hospital  therefor,  almost  in  its  entirety,  to  A.  D. 
Fraser,  Librarian  of  Parliament,  Charlottetown,  P.  E.  I. 


204  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE    OF    THE    INSANE 

Cameron,  chairman  of  the  committee,  on  April  12  presented  the 
following"  report : 

Your  committee  having  under  consideration  the  matter  referred  to 
them  by  the  House  relative  to  making  a  permanent  provision  for  the  care 
of  lunatics,  and  also  the  impotent  poor,  beg  leave  to  report  that,  having 
duly  considered  the  melancholy  situation  of  such  unfortunate  persons  and 
the  great  expenses  likely  to  be  entailed  on  the  public  by  providing  separately 
for  persons  so  situated,  they  conceive  that  the  cheapest  and  most  efficient 
mode  of  supporting  them  would  be  by  placing  a  certain  sum  of  money  at  the 
disposal  of  His  Excellency  the  Lieutenant-Governor,  for  the  purpose  of  pro- 
viding a  place,  under  fixed  and  proper  regulations,  for  their  care  and 
maintenance.  And  that  also,  in  the  event  of  such  insane  persons  being 
possessed  of  any  property,  such  property  should  be  made  available  for  the 
reimbursement  of  any  sums  that  may  be  expended  for  their  support,  or  at 
least  that  it  should  be  made  to  contribute  toward  the  same. 

Your  committee  would  further  beg  leave  to  suggest  that  when  the  new 
jail  is  completed  the  old  jail  might  at  a  small  expense  be  fitted  up  for  the 
purpose  herein  recommended. 

It  was  ordered  that  the  report  "  do  lie  on  the  table  " ;  and  lie 
on  the  table  it  did,  for  no  further  reference  is  found  to  the 
matter  till  attention  was  called  to  it  in  the  following  rather 
evasive  paragraph,  in  the  Governor's  speech  at  the  opening  of 
the  session  of  1837: 

There  is  another  public  building  of  importance  scarcely  secondary  to  any 
other,  the  erection  and  endowment  of  which  must,  however,  I  apprehend, 
be  deferred  until  the  resources  of  the  colony  are  more  fully  developed — I 
mean  a  provincial  hospital  or  infirmary,  including  within  it  a  lunatic  asylum. 

In  the  following  year,  on  March  8,  Mr.  Pope  moved  that  the 
House  "  do  come  to  a  resolution  as  followeth  " : 

Whereas  this  House,  taking  into  consideration  the  numerous  cases  of 
insane  and  infirm  persons  in  various  parts  of  the  island,  many  of  whom 
are  supported  by  special  grants  of  money  from  this  House  to  the  amount 
of  upwards  of  i250  per  annum,  is  forcibly  impressed  with  the  great 
necessity  that  exists  for  making  a  more  suitable  provision  for  ameliorating 
the  condition  of  such  unfortunate  individuals,  and  sincerely  regrets  that  the 
very  limited  means  at  its  disposal  do  not  enable  it  to  found  an  establishment 
for  the  care  and  safekeeping  of  these  unhappy  persons,  as  the  cause  of 
humanity  and  feelings  of  sympathy  for  our  fellow  creatures,  suffering 
under  affliction,  would  dictate.  But  the  House  having  learned  that  a  sum 
amounting  to  £800,  or  thereabouts,  has  lately  been  realized  from  the  sale  of 
Crown  lands  in  this  island,  no  part  of  which  has  yet  been  appropriated, 
and  believing  that  this  fund  is  likely  to  be  augmented  by  future  sales ; 

Resolved,  therefore,  That  an  humble  address  be  presented  to  His  Excel- 
lency the  Lieutenant-Governor,  praying  that  he  will  be  pleased  to  use  his 


PRINCE   EDWARD   ISLAND  205 

influence  with  Her  Majesty's  government  to  obtain  permission  to  apply 
such  portion  of  the  said  funds  as  may  be  sufficient  to  erect  a  building  for  a 
lunatic  asylum  and  house  of  industry. 

This  resolution,  slightly  amended,  was  adopted,  and  a  com- 
mittee was  appointed  to  prepare  and  report  the  draught  of  an 
address  to  His  Excellency  on  the  subject. 

In  the  address,  which  was  approved  by  the  House,  the  com- 
mittee assured  His  Excellency  that,  "  should  such  a  sum  be 
applied  to  those  benevolent  purposes,  the  future  management  of 
such  institution  would  be  cheerfully  provided  for  by  the  colony." 

The  Governor  assured  the  committee  that  he  would  exert  his 
influence  to  obtain  the  object  desired  by  the  address,  and  accord- 
ingly submitted  the  application  of  the  House  to  Her  Majesty's 
government.  A  reply  came  in  due  course  that  the  Lords  Com- 
missioners of  the  Treasury  would  not  be  unwilling  to  allow  the 
expenditure  on  this  work  of  a  part  of  the  iSoo  arising  from  the 
sale  of  lands,  provided  they  were  furnished  with  a  specific  estimate 
of  the  sum  required. 

This  favorable  reply  was  transmitted  to  the  House,  and  His 
Excellency  was  thereupon  requested  to  have  plans  and  estimates 
prepared  and  forwarded  to  the  Lords  of  the  Treasury,  with  the 
request  that  out  of  the  sales  of  lands,  which  now  amounted  to 
ii2oo,  and  which  might  reasonably  be  expected  to  increase  to 
£5000  by  future  sales,  the  sum  of  £1500  might  be  applied  to  the 
said  building,  this  being  the  lowest  estimate  of  the  cost  of  a 
suitable  structure. 

The  Governor,  Sir  Charles  Augustus  Fitz-Roy,  having  for- 
warded this  application,  had  pleasure  in  informing  the  House, 
early  in  the  session  of  1840,  that  the  request  had  been  acceded  to. 

Accordingly,  an  act  was  passed  during  that  session  "  to 
authorize  the  erection  of  a  building  near  Charlottetown  as  an 
asylum  for  insane  persons  and  other  objects  of  charity,  and  to 
provide  for  the  future  maintenance  of  the  same."  The  cost  of 
land,  which  was  to  comprise  an  area  of  from  20  to  50  acres,  was 
not  to  exceed  £500,  while  the  cost  of  the  building  to  be  erected 
thereon  was  not  to  exceed  £1500.  The  annual  sum  of  £350  was 
allotted  for  the  upkeep  of  the  establishment. 

This  act  ^  provided  that  it  should  be  lawful  "  for  the  adminis- 
trator of  the  government,  by  and  with  the  advice  of  Her  Majesty's 

'Third  Vict.,  Cap.  21. 


206  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

Council,  to  nominate  and  appoint  two  members  of  the  Legislative 
Council,  and  the  House  of  Assembly  shall  select  and  choose  five 
of  their  members,  who  shall  continue  in  office  during  the  existence 
of  the  said  House,  of  whom  one  shall  be  from  each  county,  who, 
together  with  the  Chief  Justice,  the  President  of  the  Legislative 
Council,  and  the  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Assembly,  and  their 
successors  in  office,  shall  be  trustees." 

This  peculiar  provision  was  intended  to  give  the  popular 
chamber  a  larger  representation  on  the  trustee  board  of  the 
institution  than  it  was  likely  to  have  if  the  appointments  were 
made  in  the  usual  way. 

The  bill  was  passed  subject  to  this  proviso :  "  That  nothing 
in  this  act  contained  shall  have  any  force  or  effect  until  Her 
Majesty's  pleasure  thereon  shall  be  signified." 

Early  in  the  following  session  the  Lieutenant-Governor  laid 
before  the  House  of  Assembly  a  copy  of  a  dispatch  from  Lord 
John  Russell,  Secretary  of  State  for  the  Colonies,  which,  after 
referring  to  the  manner  in  which  the  trustees  of  the  asylum  were 
to  be  appointed,  set  forth  as  follows:  "Her  Majesty's  govern- 
ment cannot  be  a  party  to  encroachments  of  this  kind  on  the  rules 
which  should  separate  from  each  other  the  functions  of  the  execu- 
tive government  and  those  of  the  legislative  bodies." 

It  was  thereupon  resolved  that  a  committee  should  be  appointed 
to  prepare  and  bring  in  a  bill  to  amend  the  act  of  the  previous 
session,  in  conformity  with  the  dispatch  of  Lord  Russell,  dated 
the  13th  of  October,  1840. 

Mr,  Rae  moved  an  amendment  to  the  proposed  resolution  that 
after  the  word  "  Resolved  "  all  should  be  struck  out,  and  the 
following  substituted : 

That  in  the  present  state  of  the  colony  this  House  cannot  accede  to  the 
restrictions  imposed  on  the  representative  body  by  Lord  John  Russell  in 
regard  to  their  curatorial  powers  over  the  intended  house  of  industry  and 
lunatic  asylum ;  and  therefore,  with  deep  regret,  they  are  obliged,  for  the 
present,  to  desist  from  further  prosecuting  that  important  public  under- 
taking. 

The  House  divided  on  the  amendment,  the  vote  standing  14  in 
favor  of  it  to  7  against.  Thus  the  erection  of  a  home  for  the 
insane  was  indefinitely  postponed. 


PRINCE    EDWAIID   ISLAND  20/ 

The  foregoing  furnishes  a  good  illustration  of  the  contest 
that  was  going  on  in  the  colony  during  those  years  for  "  responsi- 
ble government." 

In  his  speech  at  the  opening  of  the  next  (1842)  session,  His 
Excellency  expressed  an  earnest  hope  that  the  project  to  provide 
an  asylum  for  the  insane,  so  long  contemplated,  would  be  com- 
pleted ;  "  for,"  said  he,  "  I  will  not  believe  it  possible  that  you 
will  continue  to  withhold  so  necessary  a  shelter  for  this  afflicted 
class  of  our  fellow  creatures,  towards  which  our  gracious  sov- 
ereign has  so  readily  and  largely  contributed. 

A  committee  was  accordingly  appointed  by  the  House  to  report 
upon  the  probable  yearly  expense  for  the  maintenance  of  a  lunatic 
asylum  and  other  matters  connected  therewith,  and,  in  due  course, 
reported  that  in  the  year  1839  the  House  of  Assembly  had  voted 
£309  toward  the  support  (or  partial  support)  of  47  insane  and 
indigent  persons;  in  1840,  £356  for  60,  and  in  1841,  £531  for 
73.  According  to  the  census  of  the  last-named  year,  there  were 
on  the  island  78  insane,  30  deaf  and  dumb,  and  29  blind  persons. 

The  committee  estimated  the  annual  expense  of  maintaining 
an  institution,  with  an  average  of  20  patients,  at  £513,  and  recom- 
mended to  the  House  the  expediency  of  reconsidering  their  action 
of  the  previous  session,  with  a  view  to  removing  the  objection 
complained  of  by  the  home  government,  thus  rendering  available 
the  £1500  allowed  by  Her  Majesty  to  be  appropriated  out  of  the 
Crown  land  monies  for  the  erection  of  the  building. 

A  bill*  to  this  effect  was  introduced,  leaving  the  appointment 
of  the  trustees  to  the  Governor  in  Council,  but  requiring  that  five 
of  the  seven  trustees  should  be  members  of  the  House  of  Assem- 
bly. At  the  third  reading  of  the  bill,  however,  the  latter  clause 
was  changed  to  three  out  of  seven,  and  so  it  was  passed. 

It  might  be  thought  that  now  all  difficulties  had  been  removed, 
and  that  the  work  of  construction  would  have  been  taken  up  at 
once,  but  the  act  of  1840  imposed  another  impediment ;  it  called  for 
a  tract  of  land  in  connection  with  the  asylum  of  not  less  than  20 
acres  in  or  near  the  common  of  Charlottetown. 

The  government  sought  to  secure  such  a  site  suitable  for  the 
purpose,  first  out  of  some  unsold  Crown  lands,  then  by  purchase, 
but  failed  in  both  instances. 

^  Fifth  Vict.,  Cap.  15. 


208  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE    OF    THE    INSANE 

So  two  more  years  passed  and  no  progress  could  be  reported. 
In  consequence,  during  the  session  of  1844,  with  the  consent  of 
Her  Majesty's  government,  an  alteration  was  made  in  the  orig- 
inal act,  by  which  the  minimum  of  20  acres  was  reduced  to  ten/ 

A  site  was  at  last  secured,  consisting  of  a  plot  of  ten  acres, 
located  at  Brighton,  on  York  River,  about  one  and  a  quarter 
miles  from  Charlottetown.  A  contract  was  let  and  active  opera- 
tions were  soon  under  way,  the  pleasing  information  being 
received  from  the  Secretary  of  State  that  a  further  sum  would 
be  appropriated  out  of  the  Crown  lands  sales  in  addition  to  the 
£1500  previously  granted. 

About  this  time  a  suggestion  came  from  the  Assembly  of  New 
Brunswick  that  the  three  maritime  provinces  should  consider  the 
propriety  of  co-operating  in  the  erecting  of  a  joint  asylum  for 
their  insane,  and  the  following  is  an  extract  from  a  resolution 
passed  by  the  Assembly  in  response  to  this  suggestion : 

Resolved,  That  this  House  will  readily  co-operate  with  the  other  branches 
of  the  Legislature  in  any  measure  calculated  to  meet  the  concurrence  of 
the  Legislatures  of  New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia,  whereby  the  lunatic 
asylum  now  in  course  of  erection  near  Charlottetown  may  be  adapted  to 
serve  for  these  provinces,  as  well  as  for  this  island,  and  bj'  which  any 
equitable  arrangement  may  be  made  for  apportioning  the  expense  and 
yearly  maintenance  of  the  said  establishment. 

Nothing  further  came  of  this  ambitious  scheme  to  domicile 
the  insane  of  the  three  provinces  under  one  roof,  and  it  was  but 
a  short  time  before  the  new  structure  became  quite  inadequate 
to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  island  alone. 

The  institution  so  long  contemplated  and  so  long  under  dis- 
cussion, the  progress  of  which  had  so  often  been  delayed,  was 
at  last  an  accomplished  fact.  In  opening  the  session  of  1846 
Sir  Henry  Vere  Huntley  was  able  to  say : 

The  lunatic  asylum  and  house  of  industry,  although  not  quite  finished,  is 
in  a  sufficiently  complete  state  to  be  used  for  the  purpose  for  which  it  has 
been  erected.  I  hope,  therefore,  some  material  change  will  be  made  in 
the  present  objectionable  system  of  affording  relief  to  the  destitute. 

At  this  session  the  sum  of  £315  was  voted  for  maintenance 
during  the  current  year. 

The  newly  born  structure  was  of  brick,  capable  of  accom- 
modating about  20  inmates  without  using  the  basement  cells. 

*  Seventh  Vict.,  Cap.  20. 


PRINCE   EDWARD   ISLAND  209 

It  was  enlarged  by  the  addition  of  wooden  wings  in  1867  and 
1874,  and  then  could  house,  without  crowding,  42  patients, 
though  in  later  years  over  80  were  sometimes  given  refuge. 

The  administration  of  its  affairs  was  vested  in  a  board  com- 
posed of  the  following  gentlemen :  The  Chief  Justice,  Edward 
Jarvis ;  the  President  of  the  Legislative  Council,  Robert  (after- 
wards Sir  Robert)  Hodgson;  Edward  Palmer,  Charles  Hensley, 
William  Swabey,  Thomas  Pethick,  Joseph  Wightman  and  John 
Longworth. 

At  the  first  meeting  of  the  board,  held  April  2,  1846,  it  was 
resolved  that  an  advertisement  should  be  inserted  in  the  news- 
papers for  parties  qualified  to  fill  the  several  positions  of  medical 
officer,  master  and  matron.  At  the  next  subsequent  meeting.  Dr. 
John  Mackieson  was  appointed  visiting  medical  officer  at  a  salary 
of  £25  currency  per  annum,  to  be  paid  extra  for  all  drugs  sup- 
plied for  the  use  of  the  patients,  and  Sergeant  Samuel  W. 
Mitchell  and  wife  were  made  master  and  matron. 

The  first  order  for  admission  was  given  by  the  board  May  i, 
1847,  when  eight  patients  were  directed  to  be  received.  On  June 
14,  1847,  following,  however,  only  a  month  and  a  half  after  their 
reception,  these  unfortunates  were  ordered  to  be  discharged  and 
the  asylum  was  taken  over  by  the  government  to  be  used  as  a 
hospital  for  some  immigrants,  who  had  arrived  in  the  barque 
Lady  Constable,  and  were  suffering  from  typhus  fever.  On  the 
28th  of  January,  1848,  the  Executive  Council  restored  the  asylum 
to  the  care  of  the  trustees,  and  on  the  26th  of  June  of  that  year  it 
was  again  opened  for  its  original  purposes  by  the  admission  of 
five  lunatics  and  five  paupers. 

At  first  the  master  received  a  certain  sum  per  head  for  the 
inmates  under  his  care.  The  amount  paid  him  varied  from  eight 
shillings  and  two  pence  to  ten  shillings  per  week,  and  included 
every  expense  connected  with  their  maintenance  except  the  sal- 
aries of  himself,  the  matron,  and  the  medical  officer,  plus  the 
cost  of  drugs  supplied  by  the  last  named.''  After  a  trial  of  four 
years  this  method  did  not  prove  satisfactory  to  the  trustees ;  the 
supplies,  therefore,  were  ordered  to  be  obtained  by  tender.  In 
the  early  days,  too,  the  medical  officer  visited  the  institution  but 

^  Annual  report  of  the  medical  superintendent  of  the  lunatic  asylum, 
Charlottetown,  P.  E.  I.,  for  the  year  1878,  p.  9. 


2IO  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF    THE   INSANE 

once  or  twice  a  week,  and  the  master  and  matron  did  all  the 
household  work  without  the  aid  of  servants  or  attendants, 
depending  solely  upon  the  help  obtainable  from  the  patients  or 
paupers. 

^  From  1847,  when  it  was  first  opened,  until  1869,  the  building- 
was  used  for  an  asylum  and  a  poorhouse,  but  in  the  latter  year 
it  was  found  too  small  for  the  combined  occupancy,  and  the  pau- 
pers were  removed  to  an  old  military  barrack  situated  about  half 
a  mile  distant. 

During  the  32  years  in  which  it  served  as  a  domicile  for  the 
insane  of  the  colony,  the  original  institution,  no  doubt,  accom- 
plished much  good,  although  from  the  first  hampered  by  want  of 
funds  and  lack  of  room.  From  its  opening,  in  1847  until,  in  1879, 
it  gave  place  to  the  present  hospital,  at  Falconwood,  no  fewer 
than  421  insane  patients  had  been  admitted,  of  whom  269  had 
been  discharged  recovered  or  improved,  almost  64  per  cent,  and 
74  had  died. 

From  time  to  time  the  medical  officer  recommended  improve- 
ments, which  were  generally  rather  sparingly  adopted,  or  rather 
tardily  carried  into  efifect.     Overcrowding  was  the  great  menace 

^  In  1858  an  important  amendment  to  the  lunacy  laws  was  made  by  the 
passing  of  an  act,  21st  Vict.,  Cap.  14,  the  preamble  to  which  reads  as 
follows :  "  Whereas,  persons  charged  with  high  treason,  murder  or  felony, 
may  be  of  unsound  mind  at  the  time  of  committing  the  offences  wherewith 
they  shall  be  charged,  and  by  reason  of  such  insanity  may  be  found  not 
guilty  of  such  offences,  and  it  may  be  dangerous  to  permit  persons  so 
acquitted  to  go  at  large ;  be  it  therefore  enacted,  by  the  Lieutenant-Gover- 
nor, Council  and  Assembly,  as  follows."  By  this  amendment  such  persons 
were  ordered  to  be  kept  in  strict  custody  during  the  pleasure  of  the 
Lieutenant-Governor  in  Council,  the  act  being  also  made  retroactive  so  as 
to  apply  to  those  already  in  custody  for  such  offences.  It  was  furthermore 
enacted  that  persons  unable  to  be  tried  on  the  ground  of  insanity  should 
also  be  placed  in  safekeeping  on  the  same  terms,  and  that  any  party  dis- 
covered and  apprehended  under  circumstances  denoting  a  derangement  of 
mind  and  a  purpose  of  committing  some  crime  was  liable  to  be  brought 
before  two  justices  of  the  peace,  who  should  call  to  their  assistance  a 
physician  or  surgeon.  If  the  said  justices  were  satisfied  that  the  individual 
was  insane,  or  a  dangerous  idiot,  it  should  be  lawful  for  them  to  commit 
such  person  to  jail  to  be  held  until  discharged  by  the  order  of  two  justices 
of  the  peace,  one  of  whom  should  be  one  of  those  who  signed  the  warrant 
of  commitment,  or  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  or  until  removed  by 
order  of  the  Lieutenant-Governor  in  Council  to  a  proper  lunatic  asylum, 
or  to  the  custody  of  guardians. 


PRINCE   EDWARD   ISLAND  211 

to  the  proper  conduct  of  the  institution  and  the  efficient  treatment 
of  its  inmates,  and  his  report  for  1864  contains  the  following 
paragraph : 

We  continue  to  suffer  the  disadvantages  connected  with  a  building  most 
faulty  in  its  original  construction  and  limited  in  its  dimensions,  and  it  is 
no  trifling  grievance  to  find  that  while  the  other  provinces  have  created 
palatial  structures  for  their  insane,  and  continue  every  few  years  to  expend 
thousands  in  their  amplification,  we  must  find  accommodation  for  our 
sufferers  underground. 

Again,  in  his  reports  for  1867,  '68,  and  '69,  he  calls  appealingly 
for  more  room,  stating  in  the  latter  year,  "  We  have  been  obliged 
to  crowd  16  male  lunatics  together  in  one  sitting-room  of  ordinary 
dimensions."  Yet  again,  in  1871,  there  is  the  same  complaint  of 
lack  of  room  and  consequent  overcrowding,  many  patients  being 
quartered  in  the  county  jail  awaiting  their  turn  for  admission. 

The  medical  officer  had  now  reached  an  advanced  age,  the 
master  and  matron  were  not  well  qualified  to  cope  with  the  diffi- 
cult task  that  confronted  them,  and  the  trustees  in  later  years  had 
given  a  rather  perfunctory  attention  to  the  important  duties  of 
their  office.  The  grand  jury  also,  in  their  semi-annual  visits, 
relied  too  much  upon  the  representations  of  the  keepers  instead 
of  making  a  thorough  investigation  for  themselves.  At  length, 
however,  the  last-named  body,  after  a  visit  paid  on  January  14, 
1874,  made  this  presentment: 

We  are  of  opinion  that  this  building  is  entirely  too  small  for  the  require- 
ments of  the  colony.  In  evidence  of  this,  we  found  the  ventilation  very 
insixfficient,  and  also  two  female  patients  in  one  ward  (room),  which  we 
conceive  to  be  prejudicial  to  their  recovery,  and  from  information  we  have 
received  from  Mr.  Gidley,  the  superintendent,  we  think  no  time  should  be 
lost  in  bringing  it  to  the  notice  of  the  government. 

This  paved  the  way  for  a  scathing  denunciation  contained  in 
the  report  of  the  grand  jury  at  the  opening  of  the  Trinity  Term 
for  the  same  year,  of  which  the  following  is  a  copy : 

The  grand  jury  feel  it  to  be  their  duty  to  bring  to  the  notice  of  your 
Lordships  the  state  of  the  lunatic  asylum  of  this  province. 

On  Thursday,  the  2d  of  July,  inst.,  they  formally  visited  the  asylum,  and 
as  it  was  a  fine  afternoon,  most  of  the  inmates  were  out  of  doors.  The 
institution  was  seen  under  exceptionally  favorable  circumstances,  for  many 
of  the  windows  and  doors  were  opened,  upstairs  and  down,  and  yet  the 
grand  jury  find  it  difficult  to  ask  your  Lordships  to  believe  that  an  institu- 
tion so  conducted  would  be  allowed  to  exist  in  a  civilized  community.    In 

17 


212  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE  OF   THE   INSANE 

a  cell  below  the  ground,  about  six  by  seven  feet,  they  found  a  young  woman 
entirely  naked,  beneath  some  broken,  dirty  straw.  The  stench  was  un- 
bearable. There  were  pools  of  urine  on  the  floor,  evidently  the  accumula- 
tion of  many  days,  as  there  were  gallons  of  it.  The  poor  creature 
endeavored  to  hide  herself  in  the  filthy  straw,  and  although  the  keeper 
alleged,  as  an  excuse  for  her  condition,  that  she  was  violent,  the  only 
article  she  had  upon  her  was  a  rag  tied  closely  around  her  neck,  with 
which  she  could  easily  have  strangled  herself  had  she  been  as  violent  as 
she  was  alleged  to  be. 

In  another  cell,  about  the  same  size,  another  young  woman  was  closely 
confined. 

The  stench  was  so  unbearable  that  none  of  the  jurors  could  remain 
there  longer  than  a  few  seconds.  In  this  cell  there  was  not  even  the  dirty 
straw,  but  the  poor  creature  lay  upon  the  bare  boards  in  a  state  of  filth 
which  was  sickening. 

In  another  cell,  on  the  same  level,  and  of  the  same  dimensions,  6x7 
feet,  they  found  an  elderly  woman;  but  common  decency  restrains  the 
grand  jury  from  giving  the  details  of  what  they  witnessed. 

The  whole  asylum  is  in  one  state  of  filth ;  men's  rooms  and  women's 
exhibit  an  utter  absence  of  the  slightest  attempt  at  cleanliness,  while  the 
stench  was  such  that  some  of  the  jury  were  ill  for  hours  after  inhaling  it. 

The  sufferings  of  these  poor  people,  on  the  sultry  nights  of  summer  and 
in  stormy  weather,  when  the  doors  are  necessarily  closed,  must  far  exceed 
all  that  we  have  been  told  of  the  Black  Hole  of  Calcutta.  There  are 
stains  of  urine  on  the  floor  so  large  as  to  show  that  it  must  have  been 
allowed  to  accumulate,  while  the  beds  and  bedding  are,  with  hardly  any 
exception,  so  abominably  filthy  that,  if  they  be  not  alive  with  vermin,  it  is 
because  vermin  could  not  exist  in  such  an  atmosphere  as  surrounds  them. 

The  grand  jury  desire  to  inform  your  Lordships  that  the  cases  which 
they  have  referred  to  by  no  means  exhaust  the  revolting  sights  which  they 
witnessed,  but  they  mention  them  because  they  think  that,  while  there 
can  be  no  possible  reason  for  the  close  confinement  of  the  poor  and 
apparently  harmless  creatures,  there  is  certainly  no  excuse  whatever  for 
their  filthy  and  horrible  condition.  The  keeper  of  the  asylum  is  an  ordinary 
laborer,  who  relinquished  the  occupation  of  joiner  for  his  present  position, 
and  the  grand  jury  fail  to  see  that  an  utter  want  of  training,  joined  to  a 
singular  absence  of  moral  competence,  is  any  fitness  for  the  responsible 
position  which  he  occupies. 

The  grand  jury  think  it  right  to  inform  your  Lordships  that  the  keeper 
showed  an  evident  unwillingness  to  allow  them  to  see  the  victims  specially 
herein  mentioned,  as  well  as  others  of  more  distressing  cases ;  and  in  every 
case,  where  this  unwillingness  was  manifested,  and  the  reason  of  their 
extreme  violence  given  for  such  unwillingness,  we  found  apparently  harm- 
less creatures,  in  some  instances  suggesting  the  probability  of  their  being 
the  victims  of  violence,  rather  than  of  their  being  violent. 

The  men's  side  of  the  house  corresponds  with  the  women's  side,  except 
that  there  are  more  women  confined  in  underground  cells  than  there  are 
men. 


PRINCE   EDWARD   ISLAND  213 

The  grand  jury  feel  that  they  cannot,  within  the  limits  of  a  formal 
presentment,  adequately  convey  to  your  Lordships  any  idea  of  the  terrible 
state  of  the  lunatic  asylum;  nothing  but  a  personal  inspection  would  do 
that.  But  they  do  not  think  they  can  discharge  their  duties  without  for- 
mally presenting  it.  It  is  the  feeling  of  every  juror  that  he  would  rather 
see  any  friend  of  his  die  and  be  buried  than  to  be  condemned  to  a  living 
death  in  that  asylum.  We  know  of  no  crime  so  great  as  to  be  deserving 
of  a  punishment  so  terrible  as  to  be  incarcerated  in  one  of  its  underground 
cells.  The  grand  jury,  last  Hilary  Term,  made  a  presentment  similar  to  this, 
but  without  any  effect ;  but  we  cannot  but  think  the  responsibility  rests 
somewhere ;  either  with  the  local  government  or  the  trustees  or  the  medical 
attendant  or  the  keeper ;  some  one  or  all  of  these  must  be  responsible  for 
this  terrible  state  of  things;  and  as  presentments  of  the  grand  jury  upon 
this  subject  are  treated  with  an  indifference  which  we  think  they  do  not 
deserve,  we  beg  respectfully  to  ask  your  Lordships  where  the  actual 
responsibility  really  lies,  and  if  it  be  competent  in  us  to  prefer  an  indict- 
ment against  the  guilty  parties,  in  order  not  only  that  punishment  may  be 
awarded  where  it  is  so  justly  deserved,  but  that  the  unfortunate  creatures 
of  whom  we  have  been  speaking  may  be  rescued  from  their  deplorable 
condition,  and  this  Province  of  Prince  Edward  Island  be  relieved  from 
the  foul  and  shameful  disgrace  which  now  rests  upon  it. 
In  behalf  of  self  and  fellows, 

(Sgd.)     J.  S.  Carvell,  Foreman. 

Naturally,  this  presentment  made  a  profound  sensation.  The 
medical  officer  and  master  were  both  indicted  for  what  was 
called  "  the  horrible  abuse  of  the  patients  " ;  the  whole  province 
was  thrown  into  an  uproar,  and  the  home  g-overnment  sent  a 
remonstrance  to  that  of  the  island  in  the  matter.  The  immediate 
result  was  a  change  in  management,  the  services  of  the  officers 
indicted  being  dispensed  with,  and  Dr.  Mackieson  succeeded  in 
office,  after  a  period  of  over  28  years,  by  Dr.  Edward  S.  Blanchard, 
who  assumed  duty  in  August,  1874.  At  the  same  time  a  vacancy 
occurring  by  resignation  on  the  Board  of  Trustees,  Jedediah 
Carvell  (afterwards  Governor),  who  acted  as  foreman  of  the 
grand  jury  that  had  made  the  presentment,  was  appointed  to  the 
board. 

It  should  in  justice  to  the  medical  officer  and  successive  Boards 
of  Trustees  be  here  recalled  how  repeatedly  their  reports  had 
called  attention  to  the  inadequate  accommodation  and  consequent 
impossibility  of  avoiding  overcrowding  and  the  utilization  of  the 
underground  cells. 

While  the  immediate  consequence  of  the  furor  aroused  was  a 
change  of  officials  and  a  change  of  conditions  as  far  as  circum- 


214  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

Stances  would  admit,  the  great  result  was  the  impetus  it  gave  to 
a  movement,  slowly  gaining  ground,  in  favor  of  providing  a 
suitable  and  up-to-date  institution  for  the  housing  of  the  insane. 
The  movement  thus  started  led  to  the  passage  in  1877  of  a  new 
lunacy  act  ^  providing  for  the  erection  of  the  "  Prince  Edward 
Island  Hospital  for  the  Insane,"  the  abolishing  of  the  office  of 
visiting  medical  officer,  and  the  creation  of  that  of  medical  super- 
intendent in  its  stead;  the  new  official  to  reside  on  the  premises 
and  to  devote  his  whole  time  to  the  welfare  of  the  institution. 
By  the  same  act  the  Board  of  Trustees  was  reduced  in  number 
to  five  members,  who  were  to  meet  quarterly  at  the  hospital,  or 
oftener,  there  or  elsewhere,  if  circumstances  required;  one  of 
them  to  visit  the  hospital  once  a  week. 

As  a  site  for  the  establishment,  about  100  acres  of  land  were 
appropriated  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Hillsborough  River  at  a 
distance  of  about  three  miles  from  Charlottetown,  and  four  and 
a  half  miles  from  the  old  asylum.  It  formed  a  part  of  a  tract  of 
government  land  known  as  the  Stock  Farm,  at  Falconwood,  in 
the  Royalty  of  Charlottetown. 

Some  considerable  time  was  necessarily  and  very  properly 
spent  in  procuring  the  fullest  possible  information  regarding 
hospital  plans  and  construction.  Dr.  Blanchard  was  untiring  in 
his  efforts  to  secure  the  best  advice  and  availed  himself  of  the 
co-operation  of  Dr.  Walker,  of  the  Boston  Lunatic  Asylum,  a 
gentleman  peculiarly  fitted  from  his  long  experience  to  make 
choice  of  plans  embodying  all  necessary  requirements.  Plans 
were  advertised  for  and  eleven  designs  were  received  from  archi- 
tects in  various  parts  of  Canada  and  the  United  States.  Those 
of  Stirling  &  Dewar,  of  Halifax,  were  decided  upon  as  the  best, 
but  even  they  had  many  defects,  which,  however,  were  remedied 
by  the  suggestions  of  Drs.  Walker  and  Blanchard. 

Tenders  were  called  for,  those  of  Macintosh  &  Dewar  being 
accepted,  and  construction  was  begun  on  June  5,  1877,  brick 
and  stone  being  the  materials  selected.  By  August,  1879,  ^ 
portion  of  the  edifice,  consisting  of  a  center  building  and  west 
wing,  was  completed  and  ready  for  occupation. 

The  contract  called  for  a  central  block  and  tower,  52  feet  by 
154  feet,  with  a  wing  on  the  west  side  45  feet  by  221  feet,  the 

*  Thirty-eighth  Vict.,  Cap.  4. 


PRINCE   EDWARD   ISLAND  21  ^ 

Structure  to  be  four  stories  in  height,  not  including  the  basement, 
which  had  a  height  of  8  clear  feet.  It  afforded  accommoda- 
tion for  150  patients  and  was  so  designed  that  its  architectural 
appearance  would  be  improved  by  the  addition  of  further  wings, 
which  would  bring  its  capacity  up  to  400.  The  cost  of  the  portion 
completed  was  in  the  neighborhood  of  $106,000. 

It  had  been  intended  that  the  hospital  should  be  provided  with 
gas,  but,  as  no  grant  was  made  for  that  purpose,  the  building  was 
lighted  with  kerosene  oil,  the  danger  arising  from  which  system 
of  illumination  was  frequently  pointed  out  by  Dr.  Blanchard. 

The  loth  of  December,  1879,  marked  an  important  era  in  the 
history  of  the  care  of  the  insane  in  Prince  Edward  Island,  for 
on  that  day  the  entire  household  was  transferred  from  the  old 
asylum  to  the  new.  The  said  household  at  this  time  consisted  of 
86  patients,  the  medical  superintendent,  a  supervisor,  a  matron, 
an  engineer,  a  fireman,  a  farmer,  seven  attendants  and  four 
servants. 

In  his  annual  report  for  the  following  year,  the  medical  super- 
intendent remarks  upon  the  great  benefit  following  the  removal 
to  the  new  hospital ;  the  great  improvement  in  the  demeanor  of 
the  patients;  the  wonderful  diminution  in  the  noise  and  excite- 
ment so  painfully  and  constantly  present  in  the  old  quarters,  and 
chiefly  due  to  the  overcrowding  so  terribly  prevalent  in  former 
days. 

At  the  time  of  the  erection  of  the  new  asylum  there  was  no  little 
objection  raised  to  building  on  so  large  a  scale  and  imposing  such 
a  burden  upon  the  province.  The  conduct  of  the  government  was, 
however,  fully  vindicated  by  the  fact  that  only  one  year  after  its 
occupation  the  superintendent  speaks  of  the  female  wards  as  fast 
becoming  overcrowded,  the  three  wards  devoted  to  females,  in- 
tended to  comfortably  accommodate  40  patients,  being  obliged  to 
house  55. 

During  the  same  year  an  investigation  was  held  into  a  case  of 
aggravated  assault  made  upon  one  of  the  male  patients  ^  by  some 
of  the  attendants.    As  a  result  they  were  brought  to  trial  and  on 

^  In  1904  this  man  committed  a  homicide  while  still  in  the  asylum,  the 
deed  being  the  outcome  of  a  delusion  that  the  Saviour  was  present,  and 
that  there  was  a  plot  to  take  His  power  from  Him,  and  if  the  plotters 
were  not  destroyed  the  world  would  be  lost. 


2l6  INSTITUTIONAL    CAEIE   OF    THE    INSANE 

the  testimony  of  one  of  their  number,  who  turned  Queen's 
evidence,  two  of  them  were  sentenced  to  imprisonment  in  the 
penitentiary  at  hard  labor  for  lengthened  periods,  and  another  to 
confinement  in  the  county  jail  for  a  shorter  time.  As  a  result  of 
this,  feeling  ran  high,  and  so  many  false  reports  were  concocted 
and  circulated  that  the  Government  appointed  a  commission,  under 
the  "  Public  Inquiries  Act,"  to  inquire  into  the  whole  management 
of  the  hospital.  The  commission,  composed  of  Rev.  Geo.  W. 
Hodgson,  A.  A.  MacDonald  and  Chas.  C.  Gardner,  made  an 
investigation  lasting  for  nearly  three  weeks,  during  which  time 
47  witnesses  were  examined.  In  their  report  to  the  government, 
the  commissioners  stated  that,  in  their  opinion,  the  asylum  was, 
upon  the  whole,  carefully  and  efficiently  managed,  that  all  those 
then  employed  were  competent  and  diligent  in  the  performance 
of  their  duties,  and  that  there  was  no  evidence  to  support  the 
serious  charges  made. 

For  the  next  nine  years  there  was  nothing  out  of  the  ordinary 
to  report ;  there  were  each  year  about  the  usual  average  of  dis- 
charges and  deaths,  plus  the  annual  call  of  the  superintendent  for 
more  accommodation. 

In  1889  th^  building  had  become  so  overcrowded  that  the  Execu- 
tive Council  decided  to  utilize  the  rooms  occupied  by  the  medical 
superintendent  for  female  patients'  quarters.  That  officer  was 
again,  accordingly,  made  a  visiting  instead  of  a  resident  one,  after 
which,  as  was  to  be  expected  from  such  a  retrograde  movement, 
the  annual  percentage  of  recoveries  began  to  decrease.' 

This  was  attributed  mainly  to  the  fact  that  the  medical  officer 
lived  at  a  distance  from  the  hospital  (in  Charlottetown) ,  and 
that  a  daily  visit  was  quite  inadequate  to  do  justice  to  his  charges, 
more  especially  acute  cases,  from  which  recoveries  are  almost 
entirely  obtainable. 

It  was  not  intended,  though,  that  this  change  of  system  should 
be  permanent,  and,  at  the  time  it  was  made,  plans  had  already  been 
drawn  for  the  erection  of  a  residence  for  the  superintendent  upon 
the  hospital  grounds.  The  work,  however,  was  delayed  from  time 
to  time  ;  then  came  a  change  in  the  ministry,  and  nothing  has  yet 
been  done  towards  this  end  so  much  to  be  desired. 

'  Annual  report  of  the  trustees  and  medical  superintendent  of  the  Prince 
Edward  Island  Hospital  for  the  Insane  for  the  year  1896,  p.  16. 


PRINCE   EDWARD   ISLAND  2I7 

Early  in  1900  Dr.  Blanchard  retired,  after  having'  discharged 
the  duties  of  medical  superintendent  for  over  25  years.  In  his 
last  report  he  gives  this  brief  resume  of  the  operations  of  the 
institution  while  under  his  charge  : 

The  best  years  of  my  life  have  been  devoted  to  the  task  of  carrying  out, 
as  far  as  in  me  lay,  the  object  for  which  the  institution  was  established, 
and  I  can  truthfully  say  that  no  effort  on  my  part  has  ever  been  spared  to 
ameliorate  the  sad  condition  of  those  for  whose  care  I  have  been  responsible. 
When  the  management  of  the  old  asylum  was  placed  in  my  hands,  the 
names  of  about  65  patients  were  on  the  record  book.  Only  15  of  these  are 
now  remaining,  but  more  than  900  have  been  under  my  care.  Of  that 
number,  over  300  have  been  discharged  (recovered)  to  again  take  up  the 
burden  of  life,  and  about  200  have  gone  to  that  bourne  whence  no  traveller 
returns.  But  one  suicide  has  taken  place  and  no  death  has  been  caused  by 
accident  during  the  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  of  my  incumbency. 
Our  record  in  this  particular  cannot  be  equalled  by  any  institution  of  a 
similar  kind  on  the  continent. 

Upon  the  retirement  of  Dr.  Blanchard,  Dr.  V.  L.  Goodwill,  the 
present  efficient  medical  superintendent,  assumed  charge  of  the 
establishment,  with  residence  in  the  hospital.  Under  his  manage- 
ment many  changes  have  been  introduced,  such  as  a  training 
school  for  nurses,  increased  employment  for  patients,  and  almost 
complete  freedom  from  restraint. 

In  1901  a  portion  of  the  east  wing,  a  contract  for  which  had 
been  let  as  far  back  as  1896,  and  which  had  been  under  construc- 
tion for  some  time,  was  completed,  and  gave  much  relief  to  the 
crowded  condition  of  the  institution. 

In  1903  a  further  portion  of  the  government  stock  farm,  com- 
prising about  50  acres,  was  turned  over  to  the  asylum,  this 
addition  being  further  supplemented  in  1910  by  the  bestowal  of 
the  balance  of  the  farm,  making  the  total  area  of  the  hospital 
property  about  370  acres.  The  former  year  also  saw  the  resigna- 
tion of  Wm.  MacPhail,  after  a  long  and  faithful  service  of  over 
20  years,  at  first  as  supervisor  and  later  as  bursar. 

The  year  1906  witnessed  the  installation  of  an  electric  lighting 
plant,  several  minor  but  important  improvements  being  also 
effected. 

What  is  now  named  "  The  Provincial  Infirmary,"  but  known 
in  the  act,  7th  Edward  VII,  Cap.  13,  as  a  poorhouse,  having 
been  erected  on  the  asylum  grounds,  and  placed  by  the  said  act 
under  the  same  medical  supervision,  was  opened  in  1909.     Its 


3l8  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF    THE   INSANE 

capacity  is  lOO,  and  to  it  can  be  transferred  from  the  hospital 
proper,  idiots,  imbeciles  and  dements  suitable  for  residence 
therein,  provision  being  made  for  their  re-transfer  to  the  hos- 
pital by  the  superintendent  if  deemed  necessary.  This  backward 
step  is  to  be  regretted,  the  housing  together  of  lunatics,  no 
matter  what  their  mental  status,  and  paupers  being  a  return  to 
a  plan  generally  abandoned  nearly  50  years  ago,  and  denounced 
by  nearly  all  good  authorities. 

By  an  act^  passed  in  April,  1911,  the  name  "  Prince  Edward 
Island  Hospital  for  the  Insane  "  was  changed  to  "  Falconwood 
Hospital,"  its  present  title.  By  the  same  act  the  voluntary 
admission  of  private  patients  competent  to  make  application  is 
allowed,  such  persons  not  to  be  detained  more  than  six  days 
after  having  given  written  notice  of  their  wish  to  leave. 

In  1912  provision  was  made  for  the  segregation  of  tubercular 
patients  by  the  remodeling  of  an  unused  building  on  the  old 
stock  farm  into  a  cottage  hospital  fitted  out  with  all  modern  con- 
veniences. It  consists  of  a  kitchen,  two  bath-rooms,  three  sun- 
porches,  one  dormitory  for  six  beds,  and  eight  smaller  rooms, 
the  total  accommodation  being  for  20  patients.  The  building, 
which  measures  40  feet  by  42  feet,  is  heated  by  means  of  a 
fireplace,  two  hard  coal  stoves,  and  an  improvised  hot-air  system 
for  the  bath-rooms.  Ventilation  is  provided  for  by  means  of 
air-shafts  constructed  in  the  chimneys,  with  a  new  model  air 
inlet  in  the  windows. 

The  population  of  Falconwood  at  the  close  of  19 13  was  268, 
the  nominal  capacity  being  about  275.  The  whole  of  the  medical 
work  falls  on  the  shoulders  of  Dr.  Goodwill,  the  medical  super- 
intendent never  having  been  allowed  an  assistant. 

*  First  George  V,  Cap.  9. 


THE  CARE  OF  THE  INSANE  IN  SASKATCHEWAN. 

Saskatchewan,  like  its  sister  province  Alberta,  assumed  a  dis- 
tinct personality  on  September  i,  1905.  It  had  formerly  been 
included  in  that  vast  tract  of  country  designated  in  Canada  the 
North  West  Territory,  as  a  portion  of  which  its  insane  had  been 
cared  for  in  the  asylums  of  Manitoba;  this  by  special  enactment 
of  the  Dominion  Government,  the  agreement  being  that  the  rate 
paid  to  the  provincial  institutions  should  be  $1  per  caput  per  day. 

Upon  the  establishment  of  Saskatchewan  as  a  separately  con- 
trolled province — this  owing  in  great  measure  to  the  rapid  in- 
crease in  its  population —  some  method  of  looking  after  its  insane, 
more  in  keeping  with  its  liberation  from  swaddling  clothes,  was 
readily  recognized  by  the  newly  formed  Provincial  Executive. 
The  building  of  a  hospital  for  the  care  of  its  mentally  afflicted, 
who  were  then  being  paid  for  in  Manitoban  hospitals,  as  well  as 
the  care  of  cases  which  might  develop  in  after  years,  was  fore- 
shadowed in  the  Legislature  through  the  passing  of  an  act  in 
1906,  known  as  the  "  Attorney-General's  Act."  ^  This  placed  in 
the  Attorney-General's  department  the  superintendence  of  prisons, 
asylums,  houses  of  correction  and  other  places  of  confinement 
within  the  province,  also  the  inspection  of  all  certificates  bearing 
upon  the  admission  and  discharge  of  lunatics  to  and  from  asylums. 
To  the  Department  of  Public  Works  by  this  act  was  deputed 
the  construction,  charge  and  direction  of  all  such  government 
buildings. 

By  the  legislation  known  as  "  The  Insanity  Act,"  *  in  1906  the 
province  provided  that  anyone  deemed  to  be  mentally  awry  could 
be  taken  to  a  justice  of  the  peace  who  might,  did  the  evidence 
show  sufficient  reason,  send  such  a  one  to  the  nearest  jail,  there 
to  stay  till  the  Attorney-General  ordered  his  removal  to  an  asylum 
in  Saskatchewan  or  another  province,  where  he  should  remain 
until  discharged  by  law.  This  procedure  could  be  appealed 
against  by  any  friend  or  relative  of  a  patient  who  might  lodge 

*  Revised  Statutes  of  Saskatchewan,  1909. 

'  Statutes  of  Saskatchewan,  1906,  Cap.  22,  Sec.  i. 


220  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

an  objection  before  a  judge  of  the  supreme  court  if  done  within 
four  days,  whereupon  said  judiciary  was  empowered  to  examine 
said  patient,  hear  evidence,  and  then  decide  whether  the  person  in 
question  was  a  lunatic  needing  confinement  or  not.  The  mainte- 
nance of  all  pauper  lunatics  was  made  a  provincial  burden  by  the 
same  enactment,  but  Indians  might  not  be  sent  to  an  asylum 
unless  their  upkeep  was  guaranteed  by  the  Dominion  Government, 
whose  wards  they  were,  through  its  Superintendent  General  of 
Indian  Affairs. 

Although  this  legislation  in  1906  enabled  the  province  to  take 
steps  toward  the  selection  of  a  site,  the  acquirement  of  land  and 
the  construction  of  a  hospital  for  the  insane,  beyond  a  limited 
desultory  discussion  in  the  Provincial  House  of  Assembly  nothing 
practical  was  done  till  191 1  with  regard  to  providing  an  institu- 
tion for  the  Saskatchewan  insane.  Dr.  David  Low,  of  Regina,  a 
member  of  the  Legislature,  had,  in  1907,  been  commissioned  to 
journey  East,  and  there  in  certain  of  the  Canadian  provinces  and 
the  United  States  to  spend  some  time  in  investigating  their 
methods  of  housing  and  caring  for  patients  afflicted  with  mental 
disorder.  This  he  did,  and  not  a  few  of  the  recommendations 
which  he  made  were  used  when  the  constructional  features  of 
the  new  hospital  were  in  the  planning. 

The  location  of  the  hospital  was,  by  the  legislative  body  of 
Saskatchewan,  finally  settled  to  be  at  a  point  two  and  a  half  miles 
from  the  town  of  Battleford,  and  some  three  miles  from  the  city 
of  North  Battleford,  the  latter  a  progressive  center  of  population, 
on  the  Canadian  Northern  Railway.  About  half  a  mile  from  the 
point  selected  the  Battle  River  joins  the  Saskatchewan,  the  site 
of  the  building  lying  some  500  yards  from  the  bank  of  the  latter 
stream,  and,  owing  to  its  slight  elevation,  commanding  a  fine  view 
of  the  junction  of  these  two  bodies  of  water.  It  is  a  healthful 
and  fairly  central  district,  and  the  2480  acres  of  land  which  com- 
prise the  hospital  property  seem  more  than  ample,  even  in  a 
country  where  prodigality  in  acreage  is  the  rule,  rather  than  the 
exception. 

In  August,  191 1,  work  was  actually  begun  on  the  new  hospital, 
the  official  name  of  which  was  made  "  The  Saskatchewan  Provin- 
cial Hospital."  The  plans  were  those  submitted  by  Messrs.  Storey 
&  Van  Egmond,  architects  of  Regina,  Sask.,  who  embodied  in 


SASKATCHEWAN  221 

them  such  desirable  features  as  they  thought  meet  from  some  of 
the  New  York  State  institutions  of  Hke  character  which  were 
visited  by  their  representative  for  this  purpose.  The  main  build- 
ing, with  a  capacity  for  500  patients,  the  power  house  and  laundry 
were  completed  in  December,  19 13. 

The  unit  idea  was  adhered  to  in  the  building,  but  owing  to  the 
Saskatchewan  climate,  which  not  infrequently  during  the  winter 
months  shows  extreme  degrees  of  cold,  the  cottage  plan  was  not 
favored,  it  being  thought  that  the  serving  of  food  therein  from  a 
central  kitchen,  exposed  as  it  would  be  to  such  low  temperatures 
as  30  or  more  degrees  below  zero,  might  spell  failure.  For  this, 
among  other  reasons,  the  idea  of  a  central  congregate  dining 
room  to  which  patients  might  be  brought,  was  rejected,  the 
assembling  of  patients  there,  three  times  daily  in  inclement 
weather,  being  considered  unwise. 

The  main  hospital  building,  rather  more  than  700  feet  in  length, 
is  two  stories  in  height  and  is  bisected  by  the  administration  unit, 
which  is  three  stories  high ;  a  basement  of  sufficient  elevation 
above  ground-level  to  be  well  lighted  runs  underneath  the  whole 
structure.  Its  shape,  broadly  considered,  is  that  of  a  rectangle 
with  the  projection  north  and  south  from  each  unit  of  dormitories, 
these  being  86  feet  in  depth,  while  a  central  corridor  traverses 
from  end  to  end  the  edifice.  The  administration  section  occupies 
the  center  of  this  rectangle,  the  wing  on  one  side  being  for  men, 
that  on  the  other  for  women.  A  pleasing  appearance  is  obtained, 
notwithstanding  the  length  of  the  structure,  by  the  material  used, 
namely,  red  brick  and  Bedford  cut  limestone,  and  the  change  of 
color  in  design  thereby  secured,  which  avoids  any  tendency  to 
monotony  in  its  effect.  It  is  fireproof  throughout;  solid  brick 
walls,  floors  and  beams  of  reinforced  concrete,  tile  linings  to 
partitions  and  walls,  stairways  of  iron  and  slate,  and  metal  roofs 
forming  the  builders'  contribution  against  fire,  the  dread  of  all 
hospital  managements.  The  main  entrance  to  the  hospital  is  in 
the  administration  unit,  which,  on  the  ground  floor,  contains  the 
office  for  the  medical  superintendent,  the  general  office,  and  vaults 
on  the  one  side  ;  reception  room,  assistant  medical  superintendent's 
office,  examination  room,  and  dispensary  on  the  other  side  of  the 
entrance  hall.  Divided  from  these  offices  by  a  foyer,  which  in 
reality  is  the  central  part  of  the  corridor  of  the  whole  building, 


222  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF    THE   INSANE 

is  the  main  assembly  hall  of  the  institution,  33  feet  by  54  feet, 
and  having  a  capacious  gallery,  which  latter  boasts  a  moving- 
picture  machine.  In  the  basement  of  this  section  are  the  officers' 
dining  room,  additional  vaults,  refrigerator  plant,  bakeshop  and 
main  kitchen ;  on  the  first  floor  are  quarters  for  the  medical  staff 
and  matron,  while  the  second  or  top  floor  is  arranged  as  a  two- 
unit  infirmary  ward  for  both  sexes.  A  well-equipped  operating 
room,  with  elevator  adjoining,  a  room  for  the  administration  of 
anaesthetics  and  one  containing  a  sterilizer  are  also  on  this  floor, 
thus  supplying  the  equipment  for  adequate  surgical  treatment. 

From  the  foyer,  through  both  wings  of  the  building,  runs  the 
main  corridor,  which  connects  the  various  units  set  apart  for 
patients,  each  separated  from  its  fellow  by  fireproof  doors.  Each 
wing  is  made  up  of  four  units,  classified  as  acute,  observation, 
chronic,  and  disturbed,  and  each  is  self-contained  as  far  as  its 
administrative  essentials  are  concerned.  The  first  three  named 
have,  on  the  ground  floor  and  first  floor,  several  single  rooms  for 
attendants,  a  linen  room  and  a  diet  kitchen,  the  latter  supplied 
by  dumb-waiter  from  the  main  kitchen  for  the  purpose  of  serving 
special  meals  to  those  unable  to  leave  their  wards.  The  base- 
ment under  each  gives  ample  space  for  exercise  rooms,  rooms 
for  uncleanly  patients,  bathrooms,  and  dining  rooms.  The  dining 
rooms,  one  to  each  unit,  save  the  disturbed,  being  in  the  basement, 
are  efficiently  served  from  the  main  kitchen  through  the  inter- 
mediary of  adjoining  service  rooms,  which  are  fitted  with  steam 
tables  and  urns. 

Jutting  ofif,  in  the  rear,  from  the  chronic  unit,  which  is  at  that 
end  of  the  wing  furthest  from  the  center  of  the  building  and 
connected  by  a  passage  at  right  angles  to  the  main  corridor,  lies 
the  disturbed  unit;  it  contains,  on  the  ground  and  first  floor, 
several  single  rooms  for  patients  and  also,  on  the  ground  floor, 
five  continuous  baths  as  well  as  the  apparatus  for  hydrothera- 
peutic  and  electrotherapeutic  treatment.  The  comparative  isola- 
tion from  the  rest  of  the  units  prevents  noise  therefrom  disturbing 
others. 

In  the  basement  of  this  section  are  placed  the  mortuary  rooms 
and  pathological  laboratories.  All  of  the  wards  are  connected  by 
a  house  telephone  with  each  other  and  the  medical  offices,  while, 
in  addition,  a  special  electric  alarm  is  connected  with  the  physicians' 
offices  from  the  disturbed  unit. 


SASKATCHEWAN  223 

Each  unit  save  that  for  disturbed  patients  has  its  own  entrance 
through  a  large  veranda,  while  in  the  rear  of  each  there  is  an 
exit  to  the  spacious  airing  courts  provided  for  the  different  sexes  ; 
outside  fire  escapes  with  entrances  on  each  of  the  three  floors  are 
attached  to  the  administration  unit,  which,  with  the  various  exits 
already  mentioned,  furnish  plenty  of  outlets  in  event  of  fire. 
Electrically  driven  fans  force  fresh  air  into  each  room  as  well 
as  withdraw  foul  air  by  means  of  ducts  throughout  all  living 
and  sleeping  quarters  of  the  hospital,  thus  ensuring  excellent 
ventilation. 

Directly  in  rear  of  the  assembly  hall,  and  some  50  yards 
distant,  stands  the  power  house,  a  building  53  feet  by  105  feet, 
with  coal  bunkers  running  its  full  length  at  the  back.  Here,  by 
boilers  of  375  pounds  gauge  pressure,  is  generated  600  horse- 
power, serving  to  drive  two  high-speed  engines  connected  with 
generators  of  100  kw.  each,  for  lighting  purposes,  electric  power 
for  the  laundry  machinery,  fans  used  in  the  ventilating  system, 
and  pumps  for  the  water  supply.  Steam  under  low  pressure  is 
furnished  to  the  radiators  throughout  the  building  for  heating, 
while  high-pressure  steam  is  driven  to  the  laundry,  kitchen, 
service  rooms  and  sterilizers ;  an  ample  quantity  of  hot  water  for 
domestic  uses  and  bathing  is  thereby  secured.  The  laundry,  a 
building  31  feet  by  100  feet,  adjoins  the  power  house,  and  lodges 
all  that  is  most  modern  in  the  way  of  machinery  for  the  work  it 
has  to  do. 

That  most  important  matter  of  a  water  supply  is  provided  for 
in  the  following  fashion :  an  artesian  well,  the  water  from  which 
has  been  highly  rated  by  the  provincial  analyst,  gives  up  to  a 
maximum  of  20,000  gallons  per  day  and  is  used  for  drinking  and 
culinary  purposes  solely.  A  second  supply  is  obtained  from  the 
North  Saskatchewan  River,  and  is  used  exclusively  for  the  baths, 
water  closets,  laundry  and  power  plant.  Two  separate  compart- 
ments in  a  reservoir,  with  a  capacity  of  250,000  gallons  each,  are 
required  under  this  dual  system,  one  for  either  kind  of  water; 
suction  pumps  draw  both  supplies  of  water  to  the  power  house, 
whence  it  is  forced  by  compressed  air  into  two  large  tanks 
installed  in  the  main  building.  The  original  intention  was  to 
use  the  well  water  for  all  purposes,  but  as  this  supply  was  found 
insufficient,  the  plan  of  supplementing  it  from  the  river  was 
evolved. 


224  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE  OF   THE   INSANE 

The  problem  of  sewage  disposal  is  dealt  with  by  the  septic  tank 
system.  Extensive  works  for  this  purpose,  covering  an  area  of 
3700  square  feet,  are  placed  on  the  banks  of  the  river ;  the  sewage 
after  collection  in  the  tank  is  passed  on  by  automatic  sprinklers 
to  filtration  beds  of  crushed  granite,  and,  after  final  treatment  in 
a  chlorine  tank,  the  effluent  finds  its  outlet  to  the  river. 

In  addition  to  the  present  buildings,  plans  are  already  provided 
for  the  following  extensions  and  improvements :  a  large  ware- 
house, four  stories  high,  with  cold  storage,  store-rooms  and 
workshops,  having  a  spur  track  from  the  C.  N.  Ry.  to  it  and  the 
coal  bunkers ;  a  nurses'  home ;  a  new  wing  for  men,  350  feet 
in  length,  having  a  capacity  for  some  300  patients;  and  seven 
cottages  for  employees — the  heads  of  various  departments.  Of 
the  foregoing,  the  new  wing  for  male  patients,  also  arranged  on 
the  unit  plan,  is  actually  under  construction,  as  are  the  warehouse 
and  cottages  for  employees.  A  future  extension,  similar  to  that 
for  men,  has  been  tentatively  designed  for  the  women's  wing, 
but  no  need  for  this  makes  itself  felt  as  yet,  owing  to  the  disparity 
between  the  two  sexes. 

Without  blare  of  trumpets,  the  new  hospital,  in  its  very  com- 
pletion no  mean  criterion  of  the  fuller  growth  to  which  Sas- 
katchewan has  attained  as  a  province,  received  its  first  patients  on 
February  4,  1914 — 228  men  and  115  women  from  the  Manitoban 
asylums  of  Brandon  and  Selkirk  being  admitted  on  that  date. 
These  all  previously  resided  in  Saskatchewan,  but  the  majority, 
being  of  a  chronic  type,  gave  slight  promise  of  recovery.  At  the 
end  of  six  months  485  patients  altogether  had  been  admitted, 
while  the  population  at  present  is  some  414,  namely,  283  men  and 
131  women.  The  noticeable  preponderance  of  men  over  women, 
as  shown  by  these  figures,  is  illustrative  of  the  comparative  new- 
ness of  the  country,  the  ratio  of  the  sexes  being  similar  to  that 
in  all  pioneer  communities.  It  is  noteworthy  that  no  Indians  are 
numbered  among  these  patients. 

The  destinies  of  the  new  hospital  are  controlled  by  Dr.  J.  W. 
MacNeill,  formerly  of  Hanley,  Saskatchewan,  and  a  member  of 
the  Legislative  Assembly,  who  was  made  medical  superintendent 
in  1913.  Dr.  MacNeill  graduated  from  McGill  University  in 
1901,  and  practised  medicine  in  New  Bruswick  and  Hanley  prior 
to  his  appointment;  he  is  a  member  of  the  American  Medico- 


SASKATCHEWAN  225 

Psychological  Association,  and,  during  191 3,  devoted  much  time 
to  the  special  study  of  psychiatry  in  some  of  the  larger  institutions 
of  the  East. 

In  his  first  report,^  which  covers  the  period  from  the  opening 
of  the  hospital  till  June  23,  1914,  the  medical  superintendent  states 
that  the  transfer  of  the  patients  from  Brandon  to  their  new  home, 
although  involving  a  continuous  train  journey  of  some  26  hours, 
was  accomplished  without  untoward  incident;  94  new  patients 
were  admitted,  while  38  were  discharged  and  10  died,  4  of  the 
deaths  being  due  to  the  exhaustion  and  excitement  following  the 
railroad  journey  from  Brandon.  Dr.  MacNeill  also  deplores  the 
fact  that  the  relatives  of  several  patients,  who  are  ready  for  a 
trial  at  home,  deliberately  put  off  coming  for  them,  their  excuse 
being  the  length  and  cost  of  the  necessary  railway  trip ;  he  hints 
at  difficulties  of  organization  due  to  inability  to  secure  sufficiently 
qualified  assistance  in  the  subordinate  positions,  but  is,  with 
reason,  moderately  optimistic  as  to  the  results  secured  so  far  and 
the  outlook  for  the  work  of  the  new  institution. 

The  percentage  of  the  mentally  afflicted  for  the  province,  cal- 
culated on  a  population  of  500,000,  is  but  a  fraction  of  i  per  cent, 
and  amounts  to  about  i  out  of  every  1200  in  the  whole  province. 
This,  compared  with  other  communities,  older  and  more  thickly 
settled,  is  an  excellent  showing. 

N.  B. — For  this  description  of  the  Battleford  hospital  we  are  in  the 
main  indebted  to  Dr.  C.  A.  Porteous,  assistant  superintendent  of  the 
Protestant  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  Montreal,  Que.,  who  has  carefully 
compiled  it  from  details  furnished  by  Messrs.  Storey  &  Van  Egmond,  the 
architects,  and  Dr.  J.  W.  MacNeill,  the  medical  superintendent. 


Commitment   of    Patients    to   Hospitals    for    the    Insane 
IN  Saskatchewan.' 

Upon  information  in  proper  form  before  a  justice  of  the  peace 
that  any  person  is  or  is  suspected  or  believed  to  be  insane  and 
dangerous  to  be  at  large,  he  may  issue  his  warrant  to  apprehend 

^Report  of  the  medical  superintendent  in  annual  report  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Public  Works  of  Saskatchewan,  1913-1914. 
^  Through  the  oversight  of  the  editor  this  was  not  inserted  in  Vol.  I. 


226  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

him  and  cause  him  to  be  brought  before  him.  The  justice  shall 
proceed  to  hear  evidence  under  oath  as  to  the  following  matters : 
The  alleged  insanity  of  the  person  upon  the  evidence  of  a  duly- 
qualified  medical  practitioner,  whether  or  not  there  is  danger  to 
be  apprehended  from  his  being  at  large,  his  residence  for  at  least 
six  months  previous  to  the  inquiry,  his  calling  or  profession,  his 
means  of  support  and  his  civil  condition.  He  may  adjourn  the 
inquiry  and  remand  the  person  to  jail  or  to  some  safe  custody,  but 
in  no  case  can  he  adjourn  the  inquiry  for  more  than  three  days. 

If  the  justice  is  satisfied  that  the  person  before  him  is  insane 
and  dangerous  to  be  at  large,  he  shall  commit  him  to  the  nearest 
jail,  or  if  it  is  his  opinion  that  he  should  not  be  committed  to  jail, 
then  to  the  custody  of  any  relative  or  friend,  there  to  await  the 
order  of  the  Attorney-General  for  removal  to  an  asylum  in  Sas- 
katchewan or  some  other  province  of  Canada  or  until  danger  is 
passed.  If  it  appears  to  him  that  the  person  is  not  insane  or  not 
dangerous  to  be  at  large,  then  he  shall  discharge  him  from 
custody. 

If  the  justice  is  satisfied  that  he  is  insane  and  dangerous  to  be 
at  large,  it  shall  be  his  duty  to  make  inquiry  if  he  be  possessed 
of  property,  also  to  ascertain  if  any  persons  are  dependent  on  him 
for  support,  and  to  secure  all  other  information  to  determine 
whether  or  not  he  shall  be  maintained  as  an  insane  pauper. 
The  Attorney-General  may  by  his  warrant  order  and  direct  the 
removal  to  an  asylum  of  any  insane  person  committed  to  jail. 

If  upon  the  committal  of  a  person,  any  relative  or  friend 
believes  it  to  be  unwarranted  and  not  justified  by  the  evidence,  he 
may  apply  within  four  days  to  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Saskatchewan  for  his  discharge  from  custody  on  the  ground  that 
he  is  not  insane  or  if  insane  is  not  dangerous  to  be  at  large.  It 
shall  be  the  duty  of  the  supreme  judge  to  examine  the  person  thus 
committed  and  the  evidence  and  other  papers  relating  to  his  com- 
mittal, and  to  hear  further  evidence,  and  if  satisfied  that  the 
person  is  not  insane  or  if  insane  is  not  dangerous  to  be  at  large, 
he  may  grant  a  certificate,  or  may  dismiss  the  application. 

Any  relative  or  friend  who  desires  to  remove  a  patient  thus 
ordered  to  an  asylum  may  act  instead  of  the  person  appointed 
for  the  service  by  the  justice  of  the  peace. 


SASKATCHEWAN  227 

A  female  committed  to  an  asylum,  unless  accompanied  by  her 
mother,  father,  brother,  sister  or  husband,  must  be  placed  in 
charge  of  a  woman. 

If  any  person  confined  in  any  jail  under  conviction  is  certified 
to  be  insane  by  a  duly  qualified  medical  practitioner,  the  Attorney- 
General  may  make  inquiry  in  reference  to  his  case  similar  to  the 
inquiry  made  in  a  former  section  by  a  justice  of  the  peace. 

If  a  person  is  committed  to  safe  custody  in  a  jail  or  asylum  all 
the  expenses  incurred  in  his  apprehension,  examination,  com- 
mittal to  jail,  medical  certificates,  custody,  temporary  care  and 
maintenance  shall  be  borne  by  the  insane  person  if  he  is  possessed 
of  suflEicient  means.  If  a  person  committed  to  an  asylum  is  not 
possessed  of  sufficient  means  or  his  relatives  are  incapable  of 
providing  the  same,  the  cost  of  his  maintenance  and  other  ex- 
penses shall  be  paid  by  the  province. 

An  Indian  shall  not  be  removed  to  an  asylum  unless  the  ex- 
penses of  his  maintenance  and  other  charges  are  guaranteed  by 
the  Superintendent  of  Indian  Afifairs. 

If  a  patient  removed  on  trial  from  an  asylum  by  his  friends 
with  the  consent  of  the  superintendent,  within  six  months  again 
becomes  dangerous,  he  may  be  apprehended  and  taken  back  to 
the  hospital  on  a  warrant  from  the  Attorney-General  without 
further  proceedings. 

The  Lieutenant-Governor  in  Council  may  from  time  to  time 
authorize  the  temporary  use  of  any  building  or  buildings  for  the 
use  of  the  insane  and  the  removal  of  patients  thereto.  He  may 
also  establish  rules  and  regulations  for  the  management,  con- 
duct, and  government  of  all  officers  and  employees  and  such 
rules  and  regulations  shall  remain  in  force  and  be  of  the  same 
eflfect  as  if  they  had  been  enacted  by  the  Legislature  of  Sas- 
katchewan. 


18 


THE  CARE  OF  THE  INSANE  IN  THE  YUKON  AND 
NORTH-WEST  TERRITORIES. 

The  history  of  the  care  of  the  insane  in  the  Yukon  and  North- 
West  Territories  forms  an  integral  part  of  the  history  of  the  Royal 
North- West  mounted  police,  since,  there  being  no  asylums  in  these 
districts,  the  early  care  of  lunatics  and  their  conveyance  to  an  insti- 
tution in  one  of  the  neighboring  provinces  generally  falls  to  the 
lot  of  the  members  of  this  force,  and  conscientiously  and  kindly 
has  the  duty  always  been  performed,  often  at  the  cost  of  well-nigh 
incredible  hardships. 

The  force,  probably  the  finest  body  of  mounted  constabulary  the 
world  has  ever  seen,  was  organized  in  1873  under  the  Dominion 
Statute  36  Vict.,  Cap.  XXXV,  which  was  amended  by  37  Vict., 
Cap.  XX,  and  38  Vict.,  Cap.  L.  These  acts  conferred  upon  mem- 
bers of  the  corps  the  powers  and  functions  they  respectively  ex- 
ercise in  the  territories,  and,  if  required,  in  every  Canadian  prov- 
ince for  the  purpose  of  carrying  out  the  criminal  and  other  laws 
of  the  Dominion. 

On  the  first  formation  of  the  body,  in  the  autumn  of  1873,  150 
men  were  wintered  in  the  stone  fort  at  Lower  Fort  Garry.  These 
in  the  spring  of  1874  marched  to  Dufiferin,  the  former  headquarters 
of  the  British  North  American  Boundary  Commission,  and  being 
there  joined  by  150  men  from  Toronto,  started  on  their  journey 
westward  and  built  the  present  Fort  Macleod.  The  strength  of  the 
command  was  increased  from  time  to  time  during  its  early  years, 
but  later  it  was  allowed  to  dwindle.  Indeed,  prior  to  the  outbreak 
of  the  present  war  there  was  talk  of  still  further  lessening  the 
number  of  the  men,  and  even  of  disbanding  the  corps  altogether. 
The  war,  however,  induced  a  change  of  opinion  on  the  part  of  the 
government,  and  500  additional  non-commissioned  officers  and 
constables  were  enlisted.  This  step  was  considered  necessary  in 
view  of  the  fact  that  there  are  175,000  Germans  and  Austrians  in 
Alberta  and  Saskatchewan.  The  present  strength  of  the  force  is 
therefore  1267  officers,  non-commissioned  officers  and  constables. 


YUKON    AND    NORTH-WEST   TERRITORIES  229 

When  originally  embodied,  the  district  patrolled  by  the 
"  Mounted  "  stretched  from  the  49th  parallel,  the  border  line  on 
the  south,  to  the  Arctic  Ocean,  and  extended  westward  from 
Bafifin  Bay,  Davis  Strait  and  Labrador  to  Beaufort  Sea  and  the 
farthest  confines  of  the  Yukon  Territory. 

The  area  embraced  within  these  limits,  amounting  to  no  less 
than  3,150,572  square  miles,  has  been  curtailed  to  the  extent  of 
516,571  square  miles  by  the  division  of  the  district  of  Keewatin, 
formerly  administered  by  the  Governor  of  Manitoba  on  behalf  of 
the  Dominion  Government,  between  the  provinces  of  Manitoba 
and  Ontario.  This  division  was  made  pursuant  to  a  resolution  of 
the  House  of  Commons,  passed  July  13,  1908,  which  resolution 
was  carried  out  by  the  acts  of  the  Dominion  Parliament,  2  Geo.  V, 
Caps.  XXXII  and  XL,  assented  to  April  i,  191 2. 

Alberta  and  Saskatchewan,  the  latest  formed  provinces,  still, 
however,  fall  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  police,  and  will  continue 
to  do  so  until  April,  1916,  when  the  services  of  the  force  therein 
will  terminate,  unless  prolonged  by  mutual  agreement,  which  is 
the  suggestion  of  Comptroller  Fortescue  in  his  report  for  19 14. 
The  actual  sphere  of  labor  of  the  constabulary,  it  will  thus  be  seen, 
still  covers  no  less  than  2,634,000  square  miles  of  territory. 

"  Maintiens  le  droit"  (uphold  the  right),  the  motto  of  the 
force,^  is  no  empty  phrase.  It  is  and  always  has  been  worthily 
upheld  by  the  members  of  the  corps,  whose  fetich  is  duty,  from  the 
latest  joined  recruit  to  the  veteran  grown  grey  in  the  service.  It  is 
this  sense  of  fidelity  to  duty,  combined  with  a  bulldog  tenacity  of 
purpose,  undaunted  courage,  coolness  in  the  face  of  danger,  and 
resourcefulness  in  emergency,  that  has  enabled  this  handful  of 
mounted,  well-disciplined  men,  stationed  in  the  almost  boundless 
territory  of  the  North-West,  to  put  an  end  to  the  period  in  which 
each  man  was  a  law  unto  himself ;  to  make  justice  and  order  a 
civilized  fact  instead  of  the  usual  frontier  myth.  Members  of  the 
force  sometimes  answer  the  last  reveille  in  the  course  of  duty,  but 
there  are  always  others  just  as  capable,  equally  brave,  to  take  their 
places.  Real  heroes,  worthy  of  world  recognition,  die  fighting  a 
good  fight  without  hope  of  reward  or  praise  beyond  that  bestowed 
by  their  comrades  in  arms. 

^  Its  badge  is  a  buffalo  head  surmounted  by  a  crown. 


230  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

A  deplorable  feature  of  life  in  the  unsettled  parts  of  the  North- 
AVest  is  that  some  would-be  homesteaders  there  are  unable  to  stand 
the  strain  of  the  arduous  toil  and  endure  the  frightful  loneliness 
of  their  solitude.  In  the  summer  life  may  be  bearable;  it  is  in  the 
winter  when  all  the  prairie  is  one  vast,  white  sheet  of  snow  for 
months  on  end,  and  communication  with  the  outside  world  is 
practically  cut  off,  that  the  mind  falls  to  brooding  and  comes  close 
to  the  breaking  point  if  it  does  not  actually  give  way.  To  wrest  a 
living  from  the  soil  while  condemned  to  practical  isolation  for 
a  great  part  of  the  year  needs  a  strong  man  mentally  as  well  as 
physically,  and  not  everyone  can  make  the  sudden  change  from 
the  life  of  the  town  to  that  of  the  wilds  and  be  proof  against 
failing  crops,  business  worries,  and,  last  but  not  least,  the  oppres- 
sion of  solitude.  Under  such  stressful  circumstances  it  is  not  to 
be  wondered  at  that  men  sometimes  break  down  and  lose  their 
reason.  It  is  then  that  the  mounted  policeman  is  called  upon  to 
perform  one  of  his  most  unpleasant  duties  by  acting  as  the 
escort  of  the  lunatic  from  an  outlying  settlement,  where  there 
is  no  provision  for  such  cases,  to  some  town  where  he  may 
receive  proper  attention.  Nor  is  it  always  the  lonely  settler  who 
is  thrown  upon  his  hands.  It  may  be  a  stranger  from  the  East 
or  an  Indian  whose  mind  has  become  affected.  What  adds  greatly 
to  the  hardship  of  the  constable's  task  is  the  fact  that,  owing  to 
the  small  strength  of  the  detachments,  it  usually  becomes  a 
"  one-man  job."' 

It  is  under  the  authorit}^  of  "  xA.n  Ordinance  Respecting  Danger- 
ous Lunatics,"  passed  26  September,  1879,^  that  this  disagreeable 
duty  falls  to  the  lot  of  the  mounted  pohce.  By  this  it  was  enacted 
that  when  information  was  laid  before  a  justice  of  the  peace  that 
any  person  was  believed  to  be  insane  and  dangerous  to  be  at 
large  the  said  justice  was  empowered  to  have  the  party  brought 
before  him  for  examination.  If,  after  hearing  the  evidence  ad- 
duced (taken  under  oath),  the  justice  was  satisfied  of  the 
prisoner's  insanity,  it  became  his  duty  to  issue  a  warrant  to  the 
following  effect: 

Whereas,  Information  was  laid  before  me,  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  and 
for  the  said  territories,  on  the  oath  of  that 

^  Chapter  2,  Ordinances  of  the  North-West  Territories,  1879. 


YUKON    AND    NORTH-WEST   TERRITORIES  23 1 

was  insane  and  dangerous  to  be  at  large ;  and, 

whereas,  enquiry  has  been  made  by  me  respecting  the  sanity  of  the  said 

;  and  whereas  I  have  found  and  adjudged  the  said 

to  be  insane  and  dangerous  to  be  at  large.    These 

are,  therefore,  to  command  you  the  said  constables  or  other  peace  officers 

to  take  the  said   and  safely  convey  him  to  the 

North- West  mounted  police  or  to  the  keeper  of  the  common  gaol  at 

and  to  deliver  to  the  police  aforesaid  or  to  the  said  keeper, 

together  with  this  precept ;  and  I  do  hereby  command  the  said  police  force, 

or  the  keeper  of  the  said  gaol,  to  receive  the  said 

into  custody,  and  safely  keep  him  until  the  pleasure  of  the  Lieutenant- 
Governor  be  known,  or  until  he  shall  be  discharged  by  law.* 

By  an  act^  passed  in  July,  1885,  this  ordinance  was  added  to 
by  the  subjoined  clauses : 

Whenever,  under  any  law  or  ordinance  in  force  in  the  North- West  Ter- 
ritories, any  insane  person  is  kept  in  custody  until  the  pleasure  of  the 
Lieutenant-Governor  is  known,  or  until  such  person  is  discharged  by  law, 
the  Lieutenant-Governor  may  cause  such  person  to  be  removed  to  and  con- 
fined in  any  asylum  or  place  of  confinement  from  time  to  time  designated 
for  that  purpose  by  the  Governor  in  Council 

Any  transfer  which  may  have  been  made  before  the  passing  of  this  act 
of  insane  persons  coming  from  the  North-West  Territories  or  from  the 
District  of  Keewatin,  and  who  had  been  theretofore  confined  in  the  Mani- 
toba Penitentiary,  from  that  institution  to  the  Selkirk  Lunatic  Asylum,  in 
the  Province  of  Manitoba,  or  to  any  temporary  lunatic  asylum  in  the  said 
province  is  hereby  ratified  and  confirmed;  and  should  any  such  persons  be 
confined  in  a  temporary  lunatic  asylum  at  the  time  of  the  passing  of  this 
act  the  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  Province  of  Manitoba  is  hereby 
authorized  to  cause  their  removal  to  the  said  Selkirk  Lunatic  Asylum ;  and 
the  superintendent  of  the  said  asylum  or  the  superintendent  of  such  tem- 
porary lunatic  asylum,  as  the  case  may  be,  shall  detain  any  such  persons 
committed  to  his  keeping  until  the  pleasure  of  the  Lieutenant-Governor  is 
known,  or  until  such  persons  are  discharged  by  law. 

By  the  same  act  the  Minister  of  the  Interior  was  authorized 
to  make  arrangements  with  the  Lieutenant-Governor  of  Man- 
itoba for  the  payment  by  Canada  to  Manitoba  for  the  care  and 
maintenance  of  patients  detained  in  the  provincial  asylum. 

It  might  be  surmised  from  the  foregoing  that  the  duty  of  the 
mounted  police  in  connection  with  lunatics  was  light,  and  con- 
sisted in  merely  taking  temporary  charge  of  them  when  handed 
over  to  their  custody.     Not  so.     In  reality  the  carrying  out  of 

*  Chapter  2,  Ordinances  of  the  North- West  Territories,  1879. 
'  Statutes  of  Canada,  Chap.  51,  1885. 


232  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

nearly  all  the  details  rests  upon  their  shoulders.  To  them  is 
allotted  the  task,  very  often,  of  arresting  the  supposed  or  alleged 
lunatic,  his  conveyance  to  and  arraignment  before  a  justice  of 
the  peace  or  other  magistrate,  and,  generally,  if  adjudged  insane, 
his  safe  convoy  to  one  of  the  provincial  asylums. 

For  the  year  ending  30th  September,  191 3,  377  lunatics  passed 
through  the  hands  of  the  mounted  police,  and  for  the  year  ending 
30th  September,  191 4,  349. 

As  illustrating  their  devotion  to  duty  and  the  hardships  under- 
gone by  the  members  of  the  force  in  their  care  of  the  hapless 
insane,  the  following  cases  may  be  cited.  They  are  taken  from  a 
work  by  A.  L.  Hayden,  entitled,  "  The  Riders  of  the  Plains — A 
Record  of  the  Royal  North-West  Mounted  Police  of  Canada, 
1873  to  1910,"  which  work,  according  to  Comptroller  Lawrence 
Fortescue,  of  the  force,  is  thoroughly  reliable,  being  compiled 
from  the  official  records  in  his  office  "at  Ottawa  : 

One  of  Sergeant  Field's  hardest  trips  was  made  with  an  Indian  lunatic 
from  Fort  McKay  on  the  Athabasca  River.  Early  in  February,  1907,  he 
received  a  letter  (at  Fort  Chipewyan)  informing  him  that  an  Indian,  the 
son  of  one  Joseph  Bouchier,  living  at  Fort  McKay,  was  violently  insane 
and  beyond  control.  The  sergeant  had  just  returned  from  a  northern 
patrol,  and  his  dogs  were  not  in  a  conditon  to  make  another  long  journey, 
so  he  asked  Bouchier  to  try  and  wait  until  the  summer,  but  the  man  replied 
that  his  son  was  becoming  more  violent  and  dangerous  daily. 

In  the  face  of  this,  the  sergeant  had  no  option  but  to  inspect  the  case 
for  himself.  He  hired  a  team  of  dogs,  fought  his  way  through  the  heavy 
snow  storms  to  Fort  McKay,  and  set  off  southwards  with  the  lunatic.  It 
was  bad  going  all  the  way.  A  good  part  of  the  journey  across'  country 
there  was  no  trail ;  and  in  addition  to  the  strain  on  the  dogs,  there  was  the 
fact  that  the  Indian  was  constantly  troublesome.  He  had  to  be  strapped 
to  the  sled  frequently,  otherwise  he  fought  and  bit  like  a  mad  dog.  But 
Sergeant  Field  worried  through  and  came  at  last  to  Fort  Saskatchewan, 
where  he  handed  over  his  charge  to  the  provost  in  the  guard-room.  This 
was  a  SCO-mile  trip,  taking  17  days  in  all.^ 

More  arduous  still  was  the  duty  that  fell  to  Constable  A.  Pedley,  sta- 
tioned at  Fort  Chipewyan,  in  December,  1904.  This  police  outpost  was 
formerly  an  important  center  of  the  fur  trade  and  served  also  as  the 
starting  point  of  many  notable  exploratory  parties  to  the  northern  coast. 
From  it  Mackenzie  set  out  to  follow  to  its  mouth  the  great  river  that  bears 
his  name,  and  Simpson  started  to  trace  the  coast  line  of  the  Arctic  Ocean. 
It  was,  further,  a  resting  place  for  the  expeditions  under  Franklin,  Back, 
Richardson  and  Rae. 

* "  The  Riders  of  the  Plains,"  p.  285. 


YUKON    AND    NORTH-WEST   TERRITORIES  2TjT, 

A  lonely  spot  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  it  is  at  its  worst  in  the  winter, 
when  lake  and  river  are  ice-bound,  and  all  the  country,  as  far  as  the  eye 
can  reach,  is  covered  with  deep  snow.  Travelling  is  almost  impossible 
without  a  competent  guide  and  a  strong  team  of  dogs,  and  few  besides 
trappers  are  to  be  met  on  the  trail.     In  the  winter  of  1904,  however,  a 

Presbyterian  minister  named  Mr.  B found  his  way  into  this  wild  region. 

He  was  an  evangelist,  engaged  on  a  missionary  tour  in  the  North-West, 
and  during  the  summer  had  been  visiting  the  far  North,  where  only 
Indians  and  half-breeds  wander.  Later  on  he  went  over  the  Canon  trail 
of  the  Peace  River  into  the  gold  country  of  British  Columbia.  Thence  he 
returned  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  depot  at  Peace  Station  to  make  this  his 
quarters  for  the  winter. 

The  "  depot "  is  described  as  having  been  a  "  long,  low,  log  cabin  "  in  the 
sole  charge  of  a  half-breed.  It  was  many  miles  from  any  other  post  or 
settlement  and  was  only  occasionally  visited  by  Indian  traders  bringing  in 
furs  and  supplies.  Here  the  missionary  elected  to  pitch  his  camp  and  here 
he  abode  for  some  months,  shut  up  in  a  dark,  smoky  hut,  half  buried  in 
snow  and  with  the  half-breed  for  sole  companion.  Their  food  consisted 
of  bacon  and  corn  meal,  varied  by  a  jack  rabbit  whenever  the  weather  was 
mild  enough  to  allow  the  breed  to  go  "  gunning." 

Such  an  existence  would  have  been  depressing  enough  in  any  circum- 
stances. It  was  rendered  doubly  so  by  the  fact  that  conversation  between 
the  two  men  was  next  to  impossible.  The  half-breed,  Anton  Ribeaux  by 
name,  had  no  English  and  the  missionary  only  a  few  words  of  the  other's 
patois.  It  is  scarcely  to  be  wondered  at  that  this  solitary  life  told  upon 
the  less  hardened  nerves  of  the  evangelist.  When  one  day  a  squad  of 
Royal  North-West  mounted  police  on  a  patrol  eastward  rode  by  the  log 
hut  they  found  Ribeaux  much  concerned  about  his  guest's  state.  He  begged 
that  the  other  might  be  removed,  as  there  was  little  doubt  he  was  becoming 
insane. 

Proceeding  on  their  way,  the  patrol  reported  the  case  to  the  detachment 
of  three  men  at  Fort  Chipewyan.  The  sergeant  in  charge  of  this  police 
post  promised  to  look  into  the  matter,  and  Constable  Pedley  was  detailed 
to  make  the  trip  to  Peace  Station.  Pedley  set  off  with  his  dog  team,  in 
due  course  reached  the  hut,  found  the  missionary  by  this  time  a  raving 
madman,  and  carried  him  back  to  the  post.  The  next  thing  to  be  done  was 
to  get  the  madman  down  to  the  nearest  settlement  for  medical  treatment, 
down  to  Fort  Saskatchewan,  in  fact,  immediately  to  the  north  of  Edmon- 
ton. For  this  task  Constable  Pedley  was  eminently  the  man,  as  the 
stronger  and  more  experienced  of  the  two  constables.  Only  one  could  be 
spared  for  the  journey;  the  sergeant  and  the  remaining  constable  had  to 
stand  by  their  post. 

It  was  now  the  second  week  in  December.  The  weather  was  bitterly 
cold,  but  the  real  rigor  of  the  Arctic  winter  had  not  yet  been  felt.  When 
Pedley  set  out  with  his  insane  charge  the  grimmest  and  most  daunting 
part  of  the  season  lay  before  him.  According  to  instructions  he  was  to 
follow  the  course  of  the  Athabasca  River  so  far  as  was  possible,  the  dis- 


234  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

tance  from  Fort  Chipewyan  to  Fort  Saskatchewan,  being,  as  the  crow  flies, 
nearly  400  miles.  By  trail  it  was  well  over  500.  For  the  journey  a  team  of 
the  best  dogs  available  was  provided  and  a  strong,  light-running  sled.  The 
latter  was  loaded  with  provisions  and  clothing,  a  small  tent  and  some 
blankets. 

On  leaving  Fort  Chipewyan  the  mad  missionary  was  wrapped  in  thick 
furs,  with  his  feet,  which  were  frost-bitten,  encased  in  large  moccasins. 
He  was  put  into  an  Eskimo  sleeping  bag  and  fastened  by  straps  to  the 
sled.  For  most  of  the  journey  Pedley  himself  travelled  on  foot,  running 
with  the  dogs  and  helping  them  at  times  to  pull  the  sled  over  bad  places. 
Soon  after  starting  the  party  encountered  heavy,  blinding  snowstorms, 
which  made  it  very  difficult  to  keep  on  the  trail.  The  Athabasca  is  a  wind- 
ing river,  fringed  for  scores  of  miles  by  thick  timber,  but  in  places  broad 
and  clear.  When  frozen  over  these  wide  reaches  of  water  make  travelling 
easier  than  on  the  snow-packed  trail. 

In  his  report  of  the  trip  Constable  Pedley  dwells  on  the  great  depth  of 
snow  encountered  and  the  severity  of  the  storms.  The  temperature,  he 
notes,  was  from  20°  to  50°  below  zero,  being  at  its  lowest  in  the  long  hours 
of  the  dawn.  Every  day  at  4  p.  m.  he  made  his  camp,  to  dine  on  cold  meat, 
tinned  beans,  and  tea,  if  a  fire  could  be  got  going.  The  madman  would  eat 
little  at  first,  and  later  refused  to  touch  any  food  at  all.  Pedley  had  there- 
fore to  force  him  to  eat,  fearing  that  he  might  succumb  to  exposure  and 
exhaustion  before  reaching  their  destination.  It  was  all  pretty  lonely  and 
horrible,  this  daily  routine  of  trudging  through  the  snow,  facing  a  bitter 
east  wind  and  with  never  a  pause  except  when  a  rabbit  or  a  bird  crossed 
their  path  and  gave  the  constable  a  chance  for  a  shot.  As  the  missionary 
could  not  be  kept  fastened  to  the  sled  all  the  time,  he  was  released  now 
and  then  to  walk,  and  on  these  occasions  careful  watch  had  to  be  kept  to 
see  that  he  did  not  try  to  escape. 

On  the  fourth  day  out  the  madman  did  make  an  attempt.  Bursting  his 
bonds  with  a  superhuman  effort,  he  leapt  from  the  sled  and  ran  for  some 
woods  not  far  off.  Pedley  gave  chase  instantly,  and  after  a  desperate 
struggle  succeeded  in  mastering  him.  It  was  only  a  few  days  after  this 
episode  that  they  were  held  prisoners  by  the  most  terrible  snowstorm  of  the 
whole  journey.  For  48  hours  a  perfect  gale  raged,  and  for  protection 
Pedley  lashed  himself  and  the  madman,  in  their  fur  bags,  to  a  tree,  the 
dogs  having  been  entrenched  in  the  snow,  with  the  upturned  sled  as  a 
wind-shield.  The  portable  tent  was  of  no  use  in  such  conditions ;  it  would 
have  been  blown  to  bits  in  no  time. 

As  the  more  wooded  country  below  Fort  McKay  was  approached  game 
become  more  plentiful.  There  was  sometimes  a  caribou  to  be  shot,  yielding 
a  welcome  meal  of  fresh  meat.  But  with  the  deer  were  wolves,  first  the 
smaller  variety,  and  later  the  larger  timber  wolves,  for  whom  at  night  it 
was  necessary  to  light  great  fires,  lest  their  hunger  should  embolden  them 
to  attack  the  camp.  Thanks  to  these  precautions  and  the  constable's  vigi- 
lance, there  was  no  disaster.  And  so  at  length  the  little  party  of  two  men 
reached  Fort  McMurray,  where  they  crossed  to  the  eastern  side  of  the 
great  river. 


YUKON    AND    NORTH-WEST   TERRITORIES  235 

"I  knew  now,"  says  Pedley,  "that  one-half  of  our  journey  was  com- 
pleted. During  the  summer  perhaps  half  a  dozen  persons  live  at  Fort 
McMurray,  but  we  found  only  a  single  individual  there,  a  half-breed 
Indian.  He  did  his  best  to  make  us  comfortable,  and  after  a  rest  of  two 
days  we  took  the  trail  again,  and,  much  refreshed,  journeyed  on  down  the 
river.  Fresh  troubles  were  at  hand,  however.  The  missionary  grew  sullen 
again  and  refused  to  eat.  When  food  could  no  longer  be  forced  down  his 
throat,  I  became  alarmed  and  concluded  to  once  more  loosen  his  fastenings 
to  give  him  exercise,  hoping  thus  to  restore  his  appetite.  While  I  was  gather- 
ing fuel  for  a  fire,  he  became  violent,  picked  up  a  stick  and  attacked  the  dogs. 
Then,  seeing  me  with  my  arms  full  of  kindling  wood,  he  made  a  dash  for 
the  open  prairie.  With  all  his  fasting  and  confinement  he  gained  speed, 
and  soon  outdistanced  me.  But  I  kept  on  running,  and  found  that  he  was 
too  weak  to  go  far.  In  the  end,  I  overtook  him,  and  fastened  his  legs  and 
arms  so  that  he  could  not  do  any  injury  to  himself  and  me. 

"  I  am  a  pretty  strong  man,"  adds  Pedley,  "  but  in  the  wind  and  numbing 
cold  it  was  really  a  difficult  job  to  carry  him  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  camp. 
However,  I  got  him  there  and  was  well  rewarded,  for  he  began  eating 
again,  and  from  that  time  his  appetite  grew  better." 

At  Big  Weechume  Lake  a  guide  was  requisitioned,  there  being  no  trail 
over  this  part  of  the  country.  Thence  they  travelled  to  Lac  La  Biche, 
where  a  team  of  horses  was  found,  and  these  were  taken  in  the  place  of 
the  dogs.  And  so,  without  further  adventure,  Constable  Pedley  duly 
arrived  at  Fort  Saskatchewan,  the  date  being  the  7th  of  January.  The 
unfortunate  missionary  was  here  turned  over  to  the  guard-room  to  be 
examined  by  the  assistant  surgeon.  The  doctor  pronounced  it  a  most 
remarkable  case. 

He  (the  madman)  was  badly  frozen  about  the  feet,  and  the  exposure  to 
the  cold  had  caused  paralysis  of  the  tongue  for  several  days.  Every  care 
and  attention  was  given  him  at  the  hospital  (to  which  he  was  transferred), 
with  the  result  that  he  was  discharged  on  the  23d  of  February,  with  the 
loss  only  of  the  first  joint  of  a  big  toe.  His  mind  and  speech  were  as  good 
as  ever.    His  life  was  saved. 

So  much  for  the  Rev.  Mr.  B .    The  plucky  constable,  who  had  brought 

him  hundreds  of  miles  down  to  civilization  in  the  depth  of  winter,  fared 
the  worse  of  the  two.  His  mission  accomplished,  Pedley  commenced  his 
return  trip  to  Fort  Qiipewyan,  to  report  himself  to  his  sergeant.  He 
faced  the  terrors  of  the  lonely  trail  again  with  a  brave  heart,  but,  though 
none  guessed  it  at  Fort  Saskatchewan,  the  strain  of  that  fearful  journey, 
alone  with  a  madman,  had  been  too  much  for  him.  At  Lac  La  Biche  the 
poor  fellow  broke  down  and  became  violently  insane.  From  this  point  he 
was  immediately  brought  back  to  Fort  Saskatchewan,  to  be  ordered  away 
to  the  asylum  at  Brandon.  In  this  institution  the  constable  remained  for 
six  months,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  was  discharged  "  cured." 

Pedley  returned  to  headquarters,  and  in  consideration  of  his  remarkable 
service  was  granted  three  months'  leave.  He  came  back  to  his  horne  in 
England — he  is  an  East  Anglian — ^but  if  any  effort  was  made  to  induce  him 


236  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE    OF    THE   INSANE 

t«  Stay  there  permanenth-  he  stoutly  resisted  it.  The  expiration  of  his 
leave  saw  him  again  at  Regina,  readj-  to  resume  his  dutj',  and,  eventually, 
to  re-engage  for  a  further  term  of  sers'ice.  You  may  see  Constable  Pedley 
at  the  headquarters  barracks  still,  but  you  will  not  find  him  quite  the  same 
man.  That  one  experience  has  left  its  mark  upon  him.  and  it  is  likely  to 
remain.^ 

Inspector  E.  Telford,  writing  from  Dawson  City,  states :  "  We 
have  no  asylum  in  the  territory'.  Insane  persons  are  sent  right  out 
to  the  asylum  at  New  Westminster,  B.  C,  and  only  held  here  in 
our  guard-house  for  a  few  days,  pending  the  decision  of  the  com- 
missioner of  the  Yukon  Territor}-."  Comptroller  Fortescue,  of 
Ottawa,  says  that  a  like  rule  prevails  as  regards  those  in  the 
North- West  Territor}^,  who  are  sent  to  the  asyltmis  of  Alberta 
and  Saskatchewan. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  19 14  there  were  36  Yukon  patients  in 
the  New  \A'estminster  and  Coquitlam  asylums  of  British  Colum- 
bia, the  daily  maintenance  charge  paid  by  the  Dominion  Govern- 
ment for  their  keep  being  Si  per  patient. 

^  "  The  Riders  of  the  Plains,"  p.  :2S6. 


THE  CARE  OF  THE  INSANE  IN  QUEBEC/ 

From  the  records  available  it  would  appear  that  insanity  was 
commoner  among  the  Indians  inhabiting  Eastern  Canada  and  the 
interior  than  among  those  dwelling  along  the  Pacific  Coast.  The 
75  volumes  constituting  the  "  Jesuit  Relations  " '  make  numerous 
references  to  mental  disorder,  both  real  and  feigned,  as  well  as  to 
epilepsy,  "  falling  sickness,"  occurring  among  the  Algonquins. 
This  race,  whose  territory  extended  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Mississippi,  included  among  its  tribes  the  Micmacs  of  Acadia  and 
the  Montagnais  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  while  in  the  heart  of  their 
land  were  located  the  Iroquois  and  the  Hurons,  related  to  but 
generally  at  war  with  them.  It  was  among  the  latter  that  the 
Jesuits  planted  their  earliest  missions. 

Speaking  of  the  Hurons,  Father  Frangois  du  Peron,  surnamed 
in  their  tongue  Anonchiaia,  gives  them  the  following  rather 
unenviable  character : 

The  nature  of  the  Savage  is  patient,  liberal,  hospitable ;  but  importunate, 
visionary,  childish,  thieving,  lying,  deceitful,  licentious,  proud,  lazy;  they 
have  among  them  many  fools,  or  rather  lunatics,  and  insane  people.^ 

That  the  Indian  was  shrewd  enough  to  recognize  the  value  of 
malingering  as  an  easy  means  of  making  a  living  is  evident.  Thus, 
from  Lejeune's  description  one  would  gather  that,  while  some  of 
the  cases  of  ononhaioia,  or  "  turning  the  brain  upside  down,"  the 
name  given  by  the  savages  to  insanity,  were  genuinely  insane, 
many  of  them  were  impostors,  who,  by  relating  certain  dreams, 
became  possessors  of  almost  anything  they  wished  that  was  owned 
by  members  of  the  tribe.^ 

Again,  Lejeune  and  Lalemant,  speaking  of  the  "  Neutral 
Nation,"  say : 

*  By  Dr.  T.  J.  W.  Burgess,  superintendent  Protestant  Hospital  for  the 
Insane,  Montreal,  P.  Q. 

^ "  The  Jesuit  Relations  and  Allied  Documents,"  edited  by  Reuben  G. 
Thwaites,  secretary  of  the  State  Historical  Society  of  XA'isconsin.  and 
published  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  1896,  by  the  Burrows  Bros.  Co. 

^  "  Jesuit  Relations,"  Vol.  XV,  p.  155. 

*Ibid.,  Lejeune,  1636,  Vol.  X,  p.  175. 


238  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF    THE    INSANE 

The  third  respect  in  which  they  seem  to  differ  from  our  Hurons  is  in 
the  multitude  and  sort  of  lunatics.  In  going  through  the  country  one 
finds  people  who  play  this  part  with  all  possible  extravagances,  and  any 
liberties  they  choose,  and  who  are  suffered  to  do  all  that  is  pleasing  to 
them,  for  fear  of  offending  their  demon.  They  take  the  embers  from  the 
fire  and  scatter  them  around;  they  break  and  shatter  what  they  encounter, 
as  if  they  were  raving,  although  in  reality,  for  the  most  part,  they  are 
as  self-controlled  as  those  who  do  not  play  this  character.^ 

Natheless,  the  Fathers,  despite  their  skepticism,  freely  admit  the 
not  infrequent  occurrence  of  true  cases  of  mental  disorder.  The 
following  instances  are  illustrative  of  such  belief  as  well  as  of  the 
methods  of  treatment  adopted  by  the  French  and  their  Indian 
protegees : 

In  Volume  VIII  of  the  "  Relations,"  page  33,  mention  is  made 
of  an  Indian  who,  in  time  of  famine,  "  went  to  Quebec  when,  hav- 
ing tried  to  kill  some  Frenchmen,  the  Governor,  seeing  that  he  was 
mad,  had  him  put  in  chains,  to  surrender  to  the  first  Savages  that 
might  come  along."  Again,  Lejeune  in  his  "  Relations,"  1639-40, 
referring  to  the  Huron  fire-feast,  says : 

I  will  give  an  account  of  something  that  happened  during  the  time  of 
this  great  ceremony.  One  of  the  prominent  young  men  of  the  village, 
while  running  during  one  of  their  three  nights,  and  acting  the  madman, 
encountered  a  specter  or  demon,  with  whom  he  had  some  words ;  this 
meeting  so  upset  his  brain  that  he  fell  down  and  actually  became  insane. 
The  remedy  was,  promptly  to  kill  two  dogs,  and,  among  others,  one  which 
he  held  specially  dear,  of  which  a  feast  was  made.  In  consequence  of  this 
he  became  better  and  finally  returned  to  his  senses.' 

A  harsher  method  of  treatment  is  thus  recorded  by  the  same 
writer,  1638: 

One  wretched  Savage,  while  mocking  at  our  belief,  became  insane  in 
the  midst  of  his  jeers.  As  he  was  foul  and  shameless  in  his  madness,  the 
Savages,  in  order  to  get  rid  of  him,  fastened  a  rope  to  his  neck  and  his 
foot,  which  they  drew  up  against  his  thigh,  so  that,  when  he  came  to 
stretch  himself  and  to  tighten  the  cord,  he  strangled  himself.  Thereupon 
they  made  his  grave  and  said  that  he  was  dead.' 

Once  more,  the  Father  in  1836  cites  what  seems  to  have  been 
a  genuine  case  of  mental  alienation,  the  narrative  portraying  as 
well  the  credulity  of  the  lunatic's  fellow  tribesmen.     He  speaks 

*  "Jesuit  Relations,"  Vol.  XXI,  p.  199. 

*  Ibid.,  Vol.  XVII,  p.  197.    This  would  probably  be  a  case  of  epilepsy. 

*  Ibid.,  Vol.  XrV,  p.  227. 


19 


QUEBEC  239 

of  the  lunatic  as  running  about  naked  in  the  snow  at  the  end 
of  January,  singing  night  and  day,  and  fasting  for  over  18 
days.  Three  several  miraculous  things  were  attributed  to  him  by 
his  compatriots :  first,  he  was  not  in  his  wandering  buried  in  the 
snow,  though  it  was  three  feet  deep ;  second,  he  threw  him- 
self from  the  top  of  a  high  rock  without  being  hurt ;  and,  third, 
when  he  came  back  he  was  not  at  all  wet  and  his  shoes  were  as 
dry  as  if  he  had  not  set  foot  out  of  his  cabin/ 

The  following  lengthy  and  interesting  account  of  a  case  is 
culled  from  the  same  source: 

During  the  night  of  the  i8th  and  19th  (October,  1655)  we  were  diverted 
by  an  amusing  incident.  One  of  our  Savages  awoke  at  midnight,  all  out 
of  breath,  trembling,  crying  out,  and  tossing  about  like  a  maniac.  We 
thought  at  first  that  he  had  had  the  falling  sickness,  so  violent  were  his 
convulsions.  We  ran  to  him  and  tried  to  soothe  him;  but  he  so  redoubled 
his  cries  and  his  frenzy  that  the  rest  were  frightened  and  hid  the  weapons, 
lest  he  might  gain  possession  of  them.  While  some  prepared  a  potion  for 
his  case,  the  others  held  him  as  well  as  they  could;  but  he  escaped  from 
their  hands  and,  running  away,  leaped  into  the  river,  where  he  acted  most 
strangely.  He  was  followed  and  dragged  out,  and  a  fire  was  made  for 
him.  He  said  he  was  very  cold,  yet  to  get  warm  he  withdrew  from  the  fire, 
and  took  his  position  near  a  tree.  The  medicine  that  had  been  prepared 
was  offered  to  him,  but  he  did  not  think  it  suited  to  his  ailment.  "  Give 
it  to  that  child,"  said  he,  pointing  to  a  bear's  skin  stuffed  with  straw. 
They  had  to  obey  him  and  pour  it  down  the  animal's  throat.  Up  to  that 
time  everyone  had  been  anxious ;  but  finally,  when  he  had  been  thoroughly 
questioned  concerning  his  ailment,  he  said  that  he  dreamed  that  a  certain 
animal,  whose  nature  it  is  to  plunge  into  water,  had  awakened  him  and 
jumped  into  his  stomach;  that,  in  order  to  frighten  the  creature,  he  had 
leaped  into  the  river ;  and  that  he  was  determined  to  vanquish  it.  Then  all 
fear  was  changed  to  laughter.  Still,  it  was  necessary  to  cure  the  man's 
diseased  imagination.  They  all,  therefore,  pretended  to  be  mad  like  him, 
and  to  have  to  fight  animals  which  plunged  into  the  water.  Thereupon, 
they  prepared  to  take  a  sweat,  in  order  to  induce  him  to  do  so  with  them. 
While  he  was  crying  and  singing  at  the  top  of  his  voice  in  the  little  tent 
used  as  a  sweat-box,  and  imitating  the  cry  of  the  animal  with  which  he 
was  contending,  they,  too,  began,  every  man  of  them,  to  cry  and  sing  in 
imitation  of  the  animals  with  which  they  were  supposed  to  be  afflicted — all, 
in  tune  with  their  song,  beating  that  wretched  man.  What  confusion ! 
a  score  of  voices  imitating  ducks,  teals,  and  frogs;  and  what  a  spectacle 
to  see  people  counterfeiting  madness  in  order  to  cure  a  madman  I  Finally, 
they  succeeded ;  for  after  the  man  had  perspired  well  and  become  thoroughly 
tired,  he  lay  down  on  his  mat  and  slept  as  peacefully  as  if  nothing  had 

^  "  Jesuit  Relations,"  Vol.  X,  p.  199. 


240  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE  OF   THE   INSANE 

happened.  His  ailment,  coming  in  a  dream,  disappeared  like  a  dream  in 
his  sleep.  He  who  deals  with  pagan  Savages  is  in  danger  of  losing  his  life 
through  a  dream.^ 

Scant  as  is  our  knowledge  of  insanity  occurring  among  the 
aborigines,  it  is  vastly  more  scant  as  regards  its  occurrence  among 
the  earliest  French  settlers,  and  it  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  no 
Pepys  or  Evelyn  existed  to  record  the  early  inner  life  of  the 
colonists  of  La  Nouvelle  France,  now  the  Province  of  Quebec. 
Certainly  no  state  or  province  in  the  United  States  or  Canada  has 
such  an  ancient  or  interesting  history.  One  would  like  to  get  an 
actual  glimpse  of  the  real  life  of  the  colony — something  that  would 
shed  some  rays  of  the  sunshine  of  human  interest  on  the  dreary 
first  years  of  the  colony's  history. 

It  would  be  a  stringent  tax  upon  one's  powers  of  belief  to 
regard  insanity  as  unknown  among  the  earliest  French  settlers. 
Small  as  was  the  population  of  Quebec,  which,  in  1640,  did  not 
much  exceed  200,'  there  must  have  been  some  cases  of  mental 
breakdown  among  them,  a  fact  rendered  the  more  likely  by  the 
terrible  strain  incident  to  fear,  cold  and  hunger  which  they  were 
forced  to  undergo. 

Our  only  sources  of  information  covering  this  period  are 
Champlain's  narratives,  published  in  1619  and  1632 ;  the  Recollet 
Father  Sagard's  "  Histoire  de  Canada,"  which  appeared  in  1634, 
and  the  "  Jesuit  Relations,"  already  referred  to,  but  these  throw 
little  light  on  the  subject  of  the  insane  or  their  care.  The  first 
deals  chiefly  with  the  dissensions  in  the  Council  between  church 
and  state,  and  between  the  Franciscans  (Recollets)  and  the 
Jesuits ;  the  intrigues  of  the  successive  trading  companies,  which 
cared  only  for  the  trade  in  peltries ;  and  the  wranglings  between 
Catholics  and  Huguenots.  He  also  gives  an  excellent  description 
of  the  customs  and  habits  of  the  Algonquins  in  peace  and  in  war, 
of  the  quarrels  between  them  and  the  Hurons,  and  of  the  warfare 
between  these  combined  tribes  and  the  Iroquois.  Father  Sagard 
goes  into  minute  details  of  the  manner  of  Hfe  of  the  Huron  girls 
and  Indian  women,  but  says  little  or  nothing  about  the  French 
settlers,  devoting  much  space  to  decrying  the  opponents  of  his 

'  "  Jesuit  Relations,"  1655-56,  Vol.  XLH,  p.  65. 

'  Parkman,  "  The  Jesuits  in  North  America,"  Frontenac  edition,  Vol.  I, 
p.  247. 


QUEBEC  241 

order,  the  Jesuits.  The  "  Relations  "  were  chiefly  arguments  in 
favor  of  the  glorification  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  rather  than  faith- 
ful chronicles  of  contemporary  events.  Though  replete  with 
much  valuable  information  regarding  the  Indians  and  describing 
in  extenso  the  good  work  done  by  the  Society,  as  well  as  the  suf- 
ferings and  martyrdom  undergone  by  its  members,  we  could  have 
wished  that  Lejeune  had  given  us  a  little  more  secular  history. 

Throughout  the  "  Relations  "  there  is  but  one  case  of  insanity 
mentioned  as  occurring  among  the  early  settlers.  This  is  recorded 
as  follows: 

In  this  month  (December)  Barbe  Hale  was  brought  from  Beauport. 
She  had  been  possessed  with  a  Demon  of  lunacy  for  five  or  six  months, 
but  only  at  intervals.  At  first  she  was  placed  in  a  room  in  the  old  hospital, 
where  she  passed  the  night  in  the  company  of  a  keeper  of  her  own  sex, 
a  priest  and  some  servants.    Longa  historia,  de  qua  alibi  fuse.* 

This  very  meager  account  is  supplemented  thus  by  Mere  Marie 
de  ITncarnation : 

It  seems  that  there  was  a  certain  miller  who  was  adjudged  by  the 
Church  an  apostate  and  a  magician.  He,  by  his  diabolical  arts,  had  be- 
witched the  girl  and  persuaded  her  to  marry  him.  The  proof  of  his  inter- 
course with  the  devil  was  that  the  poor  hysterical  girl  declared  that  he 
visited  her  by  day  and  by  night,  after  demons  had  appeared  to  frighten 
her.  The  Bishop  sent  the  Jesuits  to  exorcise  the  devil,  and  he  himself 
adopted  measures  to  the  same  end;  but  Beauport  was  so  far  away  that 
he  decided  on  placing  the  girl  under  the  charge  of  the  Hotel  Dieu  nuns, 
and  putting  her  sweetheart  in  prison.  This  treatment,  it  must  be  ac- 
knowledged, was  mild  compared  with  the  fate  which  would  have  overtaken 
the  pair  in  New  England.  The  authority  of  the  Church  in  Canada, 
sagaciously  administered  by  responsible  men,  had  at  least  the  effect  of 
restraining  such  mental  vagaries  as  were  attributed  to  witchcraft  in  New 
England  and  Germany,  and  which  in  those  countries  were  punished  by 
most  cruel  penalties.* 

Of  the  number  or  condition  of  the  insane  in  Canada  during  the 
early  days  of  the  French  regime,  it  may  be  said  that  little  or  no 
information  is  obtainable.  Doubtless  their  treatment  differed  in 
nowise  from  the  neglect  and  cruelty  shown  them  in  all  other 
countries  at  the  same  period.     Some  were  cared  for  by  their 

* "  Jesuit  Relations,"  1660,  Vol.  XLV,  p.  167. 

* "  Old  France  in  the  New  World,"  by  James  Douglas,  LL.  D.,  1906, 
p.  425- 


242  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

friends,  in  what  manner  can  be  imagined  ;*  others  were  suffered 
to  roam  about  at  will,  while  others,  if  considered  dangerous,  were 
placed  in  custody.  A  proportion,  as  is  surmised  by  Dr.  A.  G. 
Doughty,  Dominion  Archivist,  were  doubtless  returned  to  their 
motherland.  This  supposition  is  borne  out  by  an  ordinance  of 
15th  October,  1663,  published  in  the  "  Judgments  and  Deliberations 
of  the  Sovereign  Council  of  New  France,"  which  states  that 
"  toutes  les  personnes  malades  "  shall  be  returned  to  France  as 
soon  as  possible.  This  wording  in  all  probability  comprehended 
those  afflicted  in  either  body  or  mind. 

In  1639  the  Duchess  d'Aiguillon,  niece  of  Cardinal  Richelieu, 
founded  the  Hotel  Dieu  of  Quebec  to  treat  indigent  patients,  the 
crippled  and  idiots.  As  here  employed  the  term  idiot  probably 
refers  to  all  forms  of  mental  disability,  acquired  as  well  as  con- 
genital ;  and  the  creation  of  this  establishment  is  especially  note- 
worthy, inasmuch  as  it  was  not  only  the  first  move  toward  the 
care  of  the  insane,  but  was  the  first  hospital  instituted  in  North 
America.  Later  on,  in  1643,  to  answer  the  same  purpose.  Made- 
moiselle Mance  founded  the  Hotel  Dieu  of  Montreal.'  Whether 
any,  or  how  many,  lunatics  were  admitted  at  Quebec  it  is  impossible 
to  ascertain,  but  the  Mother  Superioress  asserts  that  none  were 
ever  received  into  the  Hotel  Dieu  of  Montreal. 

*  As  exemplary  of  home-care  in  those,  and  even  much  later,  days  in  the 
colony,  there  might  be  cited  the  following  extract  from  a  letter  (dated 
March  28,  1913)  received  from  a  friend  of  the  writer,  and  a  well  known 
authority  on  the  early  history  of  the  province :  "  I  remember  a  man  who 
was  some  ten  or  twelve  years  my  senior,  a  French-Canadian,  telling  me  well 
on  to  fifty  years  ago,  that  his  grandfather  had  been  insane ;  that  he  lived 
with  the  family ;  and  that  he,  the  narrator,  with  his  brothers,  used  to  tease 
the  old  man  as  if  he  had  been  a  wild  beast.  My  recollection  is  a  little 
dim;  but  I  am  pretty  certain  he  told  me,  in  reply  to  a  question,  that  his 
parents  did  not  much  mind  these  doings.  I  judged  also  that  the  old  man 
was  tied  up  or  caged  in  some  way,  and  was  teased  as  boys  might  tease 
a  bear  that  could  not  get  at  them,  and  I  imagine  it  was  typical  of  the 
manner  the  insane  were  often  treated  in  country  places  in  the  early  part 
of  the  19th  century." 

*"A  Page  of  History:  The  Origin,  Evolution,  and  Present  Condition 
of  the  Practice  of  Medicine  in  Canada,"  by  A.  A.  Foucher,  M.  D.  Presi- 
dent's address  at  the  opening  of  the  Second  Congress  of  French-Speaking 
Physicians  of  North  America,  Montreal,  28th  June,  1904.  (Translation.) 
From  the  Montreal  Medical  Journal,  December,  1904,  Vol.  XXXIII,  No.  12. 


QUEBEC  243 

Madame  de  Comballet,  nee  Marie  Madeleine  de  Vignerod,  niece 
of  the  great  Cardinal,  had  had  her  attention  directed,  by  Lejeune's 
narrative  for  1635,  to  Canadian  missions,  and  his  suggestions 
as  to  the  foundation  of  a  hospital  at  Quebec  at  once  appealed  to 
her  heart — an  impression  doubtless  strengthened  by  the  counsel 
of  Saint  Vincent  de  Paul,  who  was  an  intimate  friend  of  her 
uncle.  She  offered  to  send  out  at  her  own  expense  some  hospital 
nuns  from  Dieppe;  the  Company  of  New  France  granted  them 
lands;  and  the  undertaking  was  aided  in  every  way  not  only  by 
Madame  de  Comballet,  but  by  Richelieu  himself. 

Speaking  of  the  generosity  and  devotion  of  the  Duchess,  Lejeune 
in  the  "  Relations,"  Vol.  VIII,  pages  310  and  325,  states  that 
Madame  de  Comballet  wished  to  put  her  hand  to  the  work  of 
founding  a  hospital  in  New  France,  and  gives  the  following 
extract  from  a  letter  written  by  her  to  him  on  the  subject : 

God  having  given  me  the  desire  to  aid  in  the  salvation  of  the  poor 
Savages,  it  has  seemed  to  me,  after  reading  the  account  which  you  have 
written  of  it,  that  what  you  consider  can  best  serve  for  their  conversion 
is  the  estabhshment  in  New  France  of  Hospital  Nuns.  I  have  therefore 
resolved  to  send  thither  this  year  six  workmen  to  clear  some  land  and 
construct  a  lodging  for  these  good  Sisters.  I  entreat  that  you  will  take 
care  of  this  establishment.  I  have  asked  Father  Chastelaine  to  speak  to 
you  about  it  for  me,  and  to  explain  to  you  my  plans  more  in  detail.  If  I 
can  do  anything  else  for  the  salvation  of  these  poor  people,  for  whom 
you  take  so  much  trouble,  I  shall  consider  myself  happy. 

Later,  in  speaking  of  the  hospital,  then  an  accomplished  fact, 
and  the  good  work  done  by  it,  especially  in  the  care  of  those 
suffering  from  smallpox,  Lejeune  ingenuously  remarks : 

All  this  is  due  to  the  charity  and  liberality  of  Madame  the  Duchess 
d'Aiguillon,  who  accomplished  this  work  with  a  care  and  affection  truly 

golden In  conclusion,   I  do  not  know  which  of  the  two   feels 

most  satisfaction,  Madame  the  Duchess  d'Aiguillon  in  having  founded  and 
built  a  house  to  our  Lord  in  New  France,  or  her  nuns  in  finding  themselves 
in  this  new  world.^ 

The  enterprise  took  shape  the  following  year  under  the  auspices 
of  this  good  woman,  and  at  her  charge,  for  she  gave  22,400  livres 
as  an  endowment.    She  also,  as  stated  by  Dr.  Douglas,  it  may  be 

*  Jesuit  Relations,  1640,  Vol.  XIX,  pages  11  and  25,  by  Lejeune  and 
Lalemant. 


244  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

assumed,  ceded  her  seigniory,  the  fief  of  Girondines,  and  thirty 
acres  within  the  banlieu  of  Quebec,  toward  the  undertaking/ 

The  establishment,  opened  in  1639,  was  placed  in  charge  of  the 
Hospitalieres  of  the  Mercy  of  Jesus,  whose  foundation  dates  back 
to  the  1 2th  century,  the  first  three  to  come  over  from  Dieppe 
being  Mere  de  Saint  Ignace,  Mother  Superior;  Mere  de  Saint 
Bernard ;  and  Mere  de  Saint  Bonaventure.  In  Champlain's  works 
it  is  mentioned  that  "  the  first  physician  at  the  Hotel  Dieu  in 
Quebec  was  one  Robert  Giffard,  a  nobleman,  Seigneur  of  Beau- 
port,  physician  to  the  King,  and  counsellor  to  His  Majesty."  ^ 
Another  noteworthy  member  of  the  attending  staff  was  Dr.  Michel 
Sarrazin,  who  first  came  to  Canada  in  the  capacity  of  surgeon- 
major  of  the  French  troops.  Though  eminent  as  a  physician,  he 
is  less  known  as  such  than  as  a  naturalist,  having  been  delegated 
by  the  French  Academy  of  Science  to  make  a  special  study  of 
animals  and  plants  in  Canada.  He  wrote  an  exhaustive  treatise 
on  the  anatomy  of  the  beaver,  and  in  his  botanical  researches  dis- 
covered the  pitcher  plant,  to-day  known,  in  his  honor,  as  Sarracenia 
purpurea. 

The  original  institution,  a  humble  log  and  bark  structure,  was 
located,  in  1640,  at  Sillery,  a  village  on  the  banks  of  the  St. 
Lawrence,  about  four  miles  above  Quebec,  named  after  Com- 
mander Noel  Burlard  de  Sillery.  Owing  to  the  fear  of  Indian 
incursions,  however,  the  nuns,  in  1646,  by  the  advice  of  the 
Governor,  of  the  Jesuit  fathers  and  of  the  inhabitants,  removed 
their  hospital  from  Sillery  to  Quebec,  not  without  great  incon- 
venience, because  the  building  being  prepared  for  them  there  had 
as  yet  but  the  four  walls  and  the  roof.' 

The  Hotel  Dieu  was  twice  burned,  the  last  time  in  1755,  when 
it  was  almost  totally  destroyed  by  an  incendiary  fire,  in  which 
nearly  all  the  original  archives  were  lost.    In  addition,  for  twenty- 

^  Old  France  in  the  New  World.    Jas.  Douglas,  LL.  D.,  2d  Ed.,  p.  265. 

'  Mons.  Giffard,  who  was  the  first  landowner  to  be  made  a  Seigneur  in 
New  France,  and  became  the  Sieur  Giffard,  did  homage  for  his  seignory 
on  the  last  day  of  October,  1635,  before  Marc  Antoine  de  Bras  de  Fer, 
Sieur  de  Chasteaufort  (Lieutenant-Governor).  On  the  land  thus  granted 
he  built  a  substantial  stone  residence,  which  place,  more  than  200  years 
later,  became  the  site  of  Beauport  Asylum. 

'Jesuit  Relations,  Vol.  XLIV,  p.  193. 


QUEBEC  '  245 

five  years  after  the  taking  of  the  city  by  the  forces  under  General 
Wolfe,  it  was  garrisoned  by  British  soldiers.  In  spite  of  these 
calamities,  however,  it  still  retains  its  original  site  in  the  City  of 
Quebec. 

The  next  findable  reference  to  the  care  of  the  insane  (and  this 
is  indubitable)  in  the  early  days  of  the  colony  is  connected  with 
Bishop  St.  Vallier  and  the  General  Hospital  at  Quebec* 

The  RecoUets,  four  of  whom  had  been  brought  from  France  by 
Champlain  in  1615,  and  with  whom  rests  the  honor  of  having 
celebrated  the  first  mass  ever  said  in  Canada,  had  built  a  monastery 
on  the  banks  of  the  St.  Charles  River  in  1621.* 

The  building  is  thus  described  by  Dr.  Douglas : 

It  was  a  two-storied  wooden  building,  34  feet  by  22  feet,  with  a  capacious 
cellar.  The  lower  story  was  divided  by  a  stone  partition  wall  into  two 
rooms,  one  of  which  served  temporarily  as  a  chapel,  the  other  as  a  kitchen 
and  refectory.  The  upper  story  was  divided  into  one  large  and  four  small 
rooms,  with  provisions  for  isolation  in  a  sixth.  There  were  stone  towers 
for  defence  at  three  corners,  and  a  demilune  of  heavy  timbers  before  the 
entrace.' 

It  was  said  to  be  the  finest  building  in  all  Canada  at  that  time. 

The  Recollets  transferred  this  property,  in  1690,  for  use  as  a 
general  hospital  to  Monseigneur  de  Saint  Vallier,  who,  in  1688,  had 
become  the  second  Bishop  of  Quebec.  By  him,  in  1693,  it  was 
placed  in  charge  of  some  nuns  from  the  Quebec  Hotel  Dieu,  and 
close  to  it,  in  17 14,  he  erected  a  small  dwelling,  the  building  of 
which  he  superintended  himself,  for  the  reception  and  treatment 
of  those  suffering  from  mental  diseases.  In  a  short  time  several 
patients  were  housed  in  it  to  the  great  relief  of  their  families.* 
This  is  the  first  reference  discoverable  regarding  the  provision 
of  any  special  accommodation  for  the  insane  in  Canada."     As 

^  St.  Vallier  is  often  spoken  of  in  this  country  as  being  the  first  to 
interest  himself  in  the  care  of  lunatics. 

'  This  river,  originally  known  as  La  Petite  Riviere,  was  named  by  Jacques 
Cartier  the  St.  Croix,  which  title  was  afterwards  changed  by  the  Recollets 
to  St.  Charles  in  honor  of  their  liberal  patron,  Charles  de  Boues,  Grande 
Vicaire  de  Pontoise. 

'  Old  France  in  the  New  World,  by  James  Douglas,  LL.  D.,  2d  Ed.,  1906. 

*Histoire  de  L'Hotel  Dieu  de  Quebec,  by  I'Abbe  H.  P.  Casgrain,  1878, 
see  appendix,  562.  See  also,  Histoire  de  Monseigneur  de  St.  Vallier  et 
de  I'Hopital  General  de  Quebec,  1883. 

"  The  Early  Hospital  History  of  Canada,  1535-1875,  A.  D.,  by  M.  Louise 
Meiklejohn.    Montreal  Medical  Journal,  May,  1910,  Vol.  XXXIX,  No.  5. 


246  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

only  insane  women  were  received  into  this  house,  the  French 
Government  erected  nearby,  at  its  expense,  but  under  the  super- 
intendence of  the  Bishop,  a  house  for  insane  men  capable  of 
receiving  12  patients/  To  aid  him  in  his  undertaking  his  Lord- 
ship was  granted,  on  the  recommendation  of  the  Governor  and 
the  Intendant,  a  sum  of  1000  livres. 

At  a  later  date  further  aid  was  granted,  as  is  testified  to  by  the 
following  translation  of  an  extract  from  a  memorial  of  the  King 
of  France  to  the  Governor  and  Intendant  of  Canada,  dated  June  2, 
1720: 

On  the  representation  of  the  Bishop  of  Quebec  that  extraordinary  ex- 
penses have  been  incurred  by  this  hospital  (the  General  Hospital)  during 
the  last  few  years,  and  that  he  has  built  a  house  for  the  insane  and  weak- 
minded  people  of  both  sexes,  His  Majesty  wishes  to  give  to  the  hospital 
some  sign  of  his  zeal  for  the  relief  of  the  poor,  and  grants  him  a  sum  of 
1000  livres  per  annum,  which  shall  be  entered,  from  the  beginning  of  this 
year,  on  the  charge  sheets  to  be  paid  in  the  colony  by  the  "  domaine  d'occi- 
dent";  but  His  Majesty  desires  that  in  consideration  of  this  gift  the 
Sieurs  de  Vaudreuil  and  Begon  engage  that  the  Bishop  of  Quebec,  and  the 
other  governors  and  directors  of  the  hospital,  shall  receive  disabled  soldiers 
of  the  troops  of  the  colony.  Besides,  the  hospital  being  able  to  get  some 
help  from  them.  His  Majesty  will  cause  the  remittance  annually  of  the 
half-pay  which  these  soldiers  have  been  allowed.  The  Sieurs  de  Vaudreuil 
and  Begon  to  report  what  is  done  in  this  respect. 

At  the  time  of  the  English  conquest  this  house  was  in  a  very 
bad  state  of  repair.  The  good  Sisters  made  some  attempt  to  patch 
it  up,  and  continued  to  receive  a  few  patients.  The  number  admis- 
sible, however,  was  very  limited,  and  when  the  maximum  was 
reached,  other  insane  persons  were  placed  in  the  public  hospitals. 
Lost  in  the  midst  of  a  great  number  of  sick  and  infirm  people  who 
thronged  these  hospitals,  those  of  disordered  mind  could  not  be 
treated  properly. 

The  impoverished  condition  of  the  institution  and  those  in 
charge  of  it  at  this  period  is  thus  set  forth  in  a  report  by  General 
Murray,  Military  Governor,  on  the  state  of  the  Government  of 
Quebec,  under  date  June  5,  1762.  Speaking  of  the  General  Hos- 
pital he  says : 

There  is  a  community  of  women.  They  have  a  Foundation  for  taking 
care  of  30  invalids,  idiots  or  incurables,  which  they  are  at  present  in  no 

^  Bulletin  des  Recherches  Historiques,  Quebec,  1895,  p.  143. 


.r'^^«»fi 


QUEBEC  247 

condition  to  fulfil,  their  revenue  being  no  way  equal  to  the  expense,  and 
as  a  large  sum  is  owing  them  by  the  King  of  France  for  the  sick  of  his 
army.  In  the  time  of  the  French  they  were  allowed  rations  for  as  many 
of  the  above  as  they  took  in,  and  a  pension  of  2000  livres.  The  ladies  of 
the  Community  are  of  the  best  families  in  Canada  and  by  the  presents  they 
were  continually  receiving  from  them  they  were  chiefly  enabled  to  subsist. 
Their  whole  estate  in  this  country  does  not  bring  them  in  at  the  most 
above  5000  livres. 

Of  the  Quebec  General  Hospital  it  may  be  said  that,  since  its 
foundation,  through  sieges  and  epidemics,  for  a  period  extending 
over  well  nigh  two  and  a  quarter  centuries,  its  doors  have  ever 
been  open,  though  its  walls  no  longer  shelter  the  insane;  truly  a 
record  to  be  proud  of. 

Another,  though  less  enduring,  testimonial  to  the  charity  and 
religious  zeal  of  Bishop  St.  Vallier  was  to  be  found  at  Three 
Rivers.  Here,  in  1697,  out  of  his  own  personal  property,  he 
founded,  as  both  a  school  and  a  hospital,  another  Hotel  Dieu,  with 
six  beds  for  indigent  poor,  and  placed  it  in  charge  of  the  Ursuline 
nuns.^  For  a  considerable  period  it  gave  refuge  to  a  small  number 
of  lunatics,  who,  on  the  creation  of  Beauport  Asylum,  were  trans- 
ferred thither.  This  hospital  also  shared  in  the  many  vicissitudes 
and  epidemics  that  visited  the  colony.  In  1775  American  soldiers 
afflicted  with  scurvy  were  received  into  it,  so  many  that  they  filled 
the  chapel,  and  to  this  day  may  be  seen  in  the  convent  at  Three 
Rivers  American  bills  issued  to  the  nuns,  which,  after  the  war, 
were  not  redeemed  by  the  United  States.  After  a  battle  fought 
between  the  English  and  Americans  close  to  the  town,  the  wounded 
of  both  armies  were  brought  to  it,  and  in  1776  it  was  used  as  a 
military  hospital.  Again,  during  the  war  of  1812  its  services  were 
put  into  requisition  to  receive  the  sick  and  wounded.  Destroyed 
by  fire  in  1806,  it  was  resurrected.  In  1864,  however,  the  Sisters 
of  Providence  having  opened  a  new  hospital  at  Three  Rivers,  it 
was  deemed  best  to  have  only  one  in  the  city,  and  the  historic 
Hotel  Dieu  of  the  Ursulines  was  closed  after  an  existence  of  over 
160  years. 

At  Montreal,  in  the  year  1694,  yet  another  institution  was 
established,  which  for  a  time  was  directly  connected  with  the  care 
of  the  insane.    At  that  date  two  or  three  rich  gentlemen,  headed 

^  The  Early  Hospital  History  of  Canada,  1535-1875,  A.  D.,  by  Miss  M. 
Louise  Meiklejohn.  Montreal  Medical  Journal,  Vol.  XXXIX,  No.  5,  May, 
1910,  p.  308. 

20 


248  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

by  a  Monsieur  Charon,  proposed  founding  a  hospital  for  the 
relief  of  the  sick  and  aged  poor.  The  establishment  began  under 
the  most  flourishing  auspices,  to  wit,  the  hearty  good  will  of  the 
Diocesan  Bishop  and  a  grant  of  land  from  the  Sulpicians,  who 
were  the  Seigneurs  of  the  island,  which  land  extended  from 
Foundling  Street  to  the  banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  The  grant 
was  made  with  the  proviso  that  if,  at  any  future  time,  the  said 
hospital  should  cease  to  exist,  the  whole  premises  should  revert 
to  the  Ecclesiastics  of  the  Seminary  of  Montreal.  The  Royal 
sanction  was  obtained  under  letters  patent  granted  April  15,  1694, 
by  His  Majesty  Louis  XIV  to  Sieur  Charon  de  la  Barre,  in  which 
the  establishment  is  styled  "  General  Hospital  of  Ville-Marie." 
The  citizens  in  general,  whose  circumstances  enabled  them  to  aid, 
contributed  liberally  to  the  good  work,  and  the  hospital  was  at 
once  erected  and  put  into  operation. 

Under  the  management  of  M.  Charon,  the  first  Superior,  the 
institution  made  rapid  progress  in  prosperity  and  importance,  addi- 
tional powers  being  given  to  the  managers  of  the  establishment, 
under  the  title  of  Freres  Charon.  After  the  death  of  M.  Charon, 
his  successor  proved  to  be  a  man  ill-qualified  to  direct  the  affairs  of 
the  establishment,  and  many  of  the  brotherhood  withdrew  from  it, 
till  only  two  or  three  friars  were  left.  On  examination  it  was 
found  that  the  hospital  was  over  £2000  in  debt.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances the  whole  estate  was,  in  1747,  handed  over  to  the 
Seminary  of  St.  Sulpice.  Soon  after  the  direction  of  the  institu- 
tion was  entrusted  by  the  Seigneurs  Administrators  of  the  Sem- 
inary to  a  small  society  of  ladies,  under  the  superintendence  of  one 
Madame  Youville,^  who  turned  it  into  a  home  for  men  and  women, 

^  This  lady  is  described  in  Hochelaga  Depicta,  published  at  Montreal,  in 
1839,  as  having  been  the  daughter  of  Christopher  Diififort,  a  native  of 
Brittany  and  captain  of  a  troop  of  cavalry,  and  a  Miss  Gauthier  of 
Varennes,  a  village  near  the  Island  of  Montreal.  She  had  married  in  early 
life  a  Canadian  gentleman,  M.  Francois  de  Youville,  and  being  left  a 
widow  when  twenty-eight  years  of  age,  retired  from  the  world  and  devoted 
herself  and  her  patrimony  to  acts  of  charity.  Meeting  with  some  other  ladies, 
whose  minds  were  congenial  to  her  own,  they  agreed,  in  1737,  to  unite  in 
works  of  charity  and  place  their  revenues  in  a  common  fund  for  that 
purpose.  They  bound  themselves  by  vows  as  religious  recluses  and  irrevo- 
cably devoted  themselves  to  the  service  of  the  poor.  The  members  of  the 
order  of  which  this  was  the  nucleus  are  usually  known  as  Grey  Nuns 
(from  the  grey  and  black  habit  adopted  by  them)  or  Sisters  of  Charity. 


QUEBEC      •  249 

and  we  find  in  a  request  made  by  the  Sulpician  Fathers  to  this 
end  that  Madame  Youville  received  the  sick,  the  aged  and  in- 
curable, orphans,  and  the  insane/ 

On  the  3d  of  June,  1753,  the  association  received  the  King's 
sanction  for  the  transfer  to  them,  under  the  title  of  Sisters  of 
Charity  of  the  General  Hospital,  of  the  rights  and  privileges 
granted  the  "  Hospitalier  Brothers  (Freres  Charon)  by  letters 
patent  in  1694." 

Shortly  after  this  the  nuns,  to  meet  the  request  of  the  Sulpicians 
regarding  the  care  of  the  insane,  erected  several  wooden  structures 
in  the  hospital  court  for  their  accommodation.  In  1801,  howeyer, 
the  government,  when  offering  the  Sisters  the  charge  of  the  insane, 
built  for  them  eight  stone  buildings  to  replace  the  wooden  ones. 
These  remained  in  use  up  to  1831,  when  the  nuns  gave  up  this 
portion  of  their  work. 

On  the  i8th  May,  1765,  the  hospital  was  almost  completely 
destroyed  by  fire,  and  the  Sisters  with  their  family  of  unfortunates 
were  left  without  a  home.  With  aid  from  the  Seminary  St. 
Sulpice  and  other  religious  communities,  however,  they  were 
sheltered  and  supported  till.  Phoenix-like,  the  institution  arose 
anew  from  its  own  ashes.  In  course  of  time  the  rapid  growth  of 
the  city  made  it  well  nigh  impossible  for  the  Sisters  to  retain 
their  ancestral  home — the  cradle  of  their  religious  life.  Accord- 
ingly, a  change  of  quarters  was  decided  upon  and  a  new  location 
selected.  This  consisted  of  the  square  of  land  bounded  by  Guy, 
Dorchester,  St.  Matthew  and  St.  Catherine  streets.  In  1869  work 
was  begun  on  the  new  structure,  which  was  occupied  in  October, 
1871. 

Up  till  toward  the  close  of  the  i8th  century  the  government  of 
the  province  made  no  regular  or  systematized  provision  for  its 
insane.  Their  care  by  the  various  religious  institutions  had  been 
voluntary,  though  from  time  to  time  varying  sums  had  been 
granted  these  for  the  support  of  lunatics  and  foundlings  and  the 
repair  of  buildings,  etc.  About  the  period  referred  to,  an  Order  in 
Council  was  passed  authorizing  an  appropriation  for  the  main- 
tenance of  insane  persons  in  the  province  of  Lower  Canada,  at  a 
fixed  rate  of  £32  los.  each  per  annum  (approximately  one  shilling 

*  This  request  is  now  in  the  archives  of  the  Grey  Nuns  at  Montreal. 


250  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF    THE    INSANE 

and  eight  pence  per  diem).  Under  this  order  the  insane  were 
entrusted  to  the  care  of  certain  religious  communities  in  the  dis^ 
tricts  of  Montreal,  Three  Rivers,  and  Quebec.  This  was  prac- 
tically the  beginning  of  the  much  and  justly  decried  "  farming- 
out  "  system,*  which,  it  is  to  be  regretted,  is  still  existent  in  the 
province,  though  in  a  much  modified  and  improved  form.  This 
improvement  consists  in  the  fact  that  the  hospitals  are  now 
officered  by  governmentally  appointed  physicians.  These  gentle- 
men are  paid  by  the  province,  and  to  them  is  relegated  the  entire 
management  of  the  institutions  as  regards  admissions,  discharges, 
and  all  matters  pertaining  to  treatment,  both  medical  and  moral. 
They  also  have  the  power  to  report  to  the  government  anything 
they  may  deem  amiss,  or  that  should,  in  their  opinion,  be  improved 
if  their  requests  to  the  proprietors  are  not  complied  with.  In 
addition,  there  is  a  Board  of  Inspectors,  also  appointed  by  the 
government,  who  are  required  to  make  regular  visits  to  and 
inspections  of  the  various  hospitals,  reporting  their  findings  to  the 
Hon.  Provincial  Secretary,  in  whom  is  vested  the  control  of 
asylums. 

That  the  religious  communities  had  no  adequate  means  of 
properly  caring  for  those  entrusted  to  their  charge,  in  the  early 
days  of  the  contract  system,  and  the  care  bestowed  upon  the 

^  Of  this  system  Dr.  D.  Hack  Tuke  thus  freely  expresses  his  opinion 
in  his  work,  "  The  Insane  in  Canada  and  the  United  States,"  written  after 
a  visit  paid  to  the  Quebec  asylums  in  1884:  "The  system  involves  the 
possibility  of  their  (the  patients)  being  sacrificed  to  the  interests  of  the 
proprietors.  It  has  the  disastrous  tendency  to  keep  the  dietary  as  low 
as  possible,  to  lead  to  a  deficiency  in  the  supply  of  clothing  and  to  a  mini- 
mum of  attendants,  thus  inducing  a  want  of  proper  attention  to  the  patients 
and  an  excessive  resort  to  mechanical  restraints,  instead  of  the  individual 
personal  care  which  is  so  needful  for  their  happiness  and  the  promotion  of 
their  recovery."  The  world-renowned  alienist.  Professor  Kraepelin,  speaks 
of  it  in  no  less  scathing  terms,  and  Dr.  James  Douglas  says  of  it  in  his 
"Journals  and  Reminiscences  of  James  Douglas,  M.  D."  (his  father),  with 
regard  to  the  inadequate  sum  per  head  paid  by  the  government  for  the  care 
of  the  insane,  who  should  be  wards  of  the  state :  "  The  more  the  govern- 
ment beats  down  the  contractor,  the  more  he  is  compelled  to  meet  the  cut 
by  economies  which  must  be  made  out  of  the  well-being  of  the  patients ; 
and  if  additional  buildings  have  to  be  erected,  they  must  almost  inevitably 
be  planned  and  constructed  with  the  view  to  cheapness  rather  than  the 
highest  hygienic  principles  and  perfect  safety  from  fire." 


QUEBEC  251 

unfortunate  victims  of  insanity  was  sadly  deficient,  is  evidenced 
by  numerous  grand  jury  and  special  reports.  Nor  are  the  good 
Sisters  so  much  to  be  blamed.  They  acted  according  to  their 
means  and  light.  They  were  not  rich  in  worldly  possessions,  and 
the  good  deeds  wrought  by  Pinel,  Tuke  and  Conolly  had  not  yet 
become  known  throughout  the  world.  In  addition,  it  must  be  said 
in  justice  to  them  that  they  repeatedly  urged  the  pressing  neces- 
sity of  better  accommodation  for  the  lunatics  under  their  charge, 
and  asked  to  be  relieved  of  the  responsibility. 

The  deplorable  condition  of  the  insane  in  the  province,  the 
wretchedness  and  misery  of  their  surroundings,  with  lack  of  proper 
care  and  medical  treatment,  are  vividly  set  forth  in  a  report  made 
by  a  special  committee  of  the  Legislative  Council  of  Lower 
Canada,  published  in  1824.'  This  committee  consisted  of  the 
Honorable  Messrs.  Richardson,  Cuthbert  and  Bell,  to  whom  were 
afterwards  added  the  Honorable  Messrs.  Duchesnay  and  Coffin. 
These  gentlemen  were  directed  to  enquire  into  the  establishments 
for  the  reception  and  cure  of  the  insane,  for  the  reception  and 
support  of  foundlings,  and  for  the  relief  and  cure  of  sick  and  infirm 
poor ;  to  enquire  into  the  purposes  for  which  public  monies  have 
been  expended  ;  and  to  report,  "  whether  one  lunatic  asylum  for  the 
whole  province,  adapted  to  the  improved  modern  system  of  treat- 
ment of  the  insane,  be  not  an  establishment  called  for  by  every 
principle  of  humanity  ;  and  if  so,  what  the  erection  would  probably 
cost."  The  lengthy  report  submitted  by  the  committee  gives 
various  interesting  statistics  and  other  details  concerning  the  insane 
confined  in  the  Hopital  General  at  Quebec,  the  Hopital  General 
at  Montreal,  both  of  which  establishments  were  under  the  charge 
of  the  Grey  Nuns,  and  in  the  Hopital  of  the  Ursulines  at  Three 
Rivers.  It  also  contains  supplementary  appendices  giving  copies 
(in  both  English  and  French)  of  the  questions  and  answers  sub- 
mitted to  the  heads  of  these  three  hospitals,  to  their  attending 
physicians,  to  the  sherififs  of  the  three  districts  regarding  the  con- 
finement of  the  insane  in  jails  and  houses  of  correction,  and  a  report 
made  by  Dr.  Hackett,  of  the  Quebec  General  Hospital,  in  1816,  to 
His  Excellency  Sir  John  C.  Sherbrooke,  K.  G.  C,  on  the  subject 
of  the  insane. 

^  Fifth  Geo.  IV.  Appendix  No.  I  to  Report  to  Legislative  Council,  loth 
February,  1824,  by  special  committee. 


252  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF    THE    INSANE 

The  report  shows  that  there  was  expended  for  the  purposes 
aforesaid  in  the  districts  of  Quebec,  Montreal  and  Three  Rivers, 
from  1800  to  the  end  of  1823,  a  total  of  £72,102.  us.  id.  currency, 
of  which  sum  £17,500.  9s.  iid.  was  devoted  to  the  care  of  the 
insane. 

Further,  the  report  says : 

By  the  returns  received  from  the  Three  Nunneries  respectively  there  are 
at  the  Hopital  General,  Quebec,  where  the  insane  are  attended  gratis,  by 
Dr.  Holmes,  senior,  18  lodges  or  cells  (12  whereof  have  been  built  at  the 
public  expense),  for  confinement  of  persons  labouring  under  that  deplor- 
able malady,  of  the  size  of  about  8  feet  long  by  7J^  feet  broad,  and  8  feet  in 
height,  exclusive  of  6  cells  of  a  much  better  description  called  by  the 
commissioners  moral  cells  (also  built  at  the  public  expense),  about  9  feet 
square  and  9  feet  high,  for  patients  in  a  state  of  mental  disease  less  violent. 
Sixteen  persons  are  now  confined  in  the  whole  at  Quebec,  and  since  1800 
the  total  number  has  been  66  males  and  45  females,  whereof  35  males  and 
2]>-females  died  in  that  period;  and  22  males  and  17  females  have  been 
discharged  as  cured  or  relieved.  The  committee  personally  visited  the 
above  hospital  and  found  everything  that  regards  the  management  well 
conducted  and  the  moral  cells  neat  and  clean ;  but  the  others,  although 
lately  much  improved,  are  in  their  nature  such  as  to  preclude  the  possi- 
bility of  treatment  of  persons  confined  therein,  upon  a  regular  system  with 
a  view  to  cure. 

There  are  at  the  Hopital  General  or  Grey  Sisters'  Nunnery,  Montreal, 
where  the  insane  are  attended  gratis  by  Dr.  Selby  senior,  8  cells  of  the  size 
of  about  8  feet  long,  6  feet  3  inches  broad,  and  7  feet  10  inches  high. 
Since  1800  there  have  been  received  and  confined  there  84,  whereof  6  are 
now  remaining  therein ;  29  have  died,  and  49  have  been  discharged  as  cured 
or  relieved. 

At  the  Ursulines,  Three  Rivers,  there  are  6  cells,  of  the  size  of  about 
8  feet  long,  6  feet  broad,  and  8  feet  high.  The  whole  number  confined 
there  have  been  12,  whereof  5  have  been  discharged,  and  4  now  remain 
confined. 

Each  of  the  above  cells  is  intended  for  one  inmate,  who  is  solitarily 
confined  therein,  day  and  night,  with  few  exceptions,  and  only  removed 
therefrom  to  another  cell  when  it  is  cleaning.^ 

The  cells  have  each  a  small  glazed  and  grated  window  in  the  outside 
Wall,  of  about  a  foot  square ;  and  in  the  passages  there  are  openings  above 
each  door,  also  grated.  Through  these  windows  light  is  admitted,  and, 
when  opened,  air.     There  are  stoves  in  winter  in  the  adjoining  passages, 

'  The  evidence  taken  was  to  the  efifect  that  such  removal  for  the  purpose 
of  cleaning  out  the  cells  and  the  changing  of  the  patients'  clothing  was 
made  only  once  in  eight  days. 


QUEBEC  253 

which  heat  the  cells ;  and  in  summer  a  window  at  each  end  of  the  passage 
admits  air ;  but  the  ventilation  must  be  very  imperfect.' 

Neither  the  cells  nor  attendants  on  insane  patients  confined  therein,  can 
allow  of  the  enjoyment  of  external  air  or  exercise,  nor  of  moral  or  even 
medical  treatment,  upon  any  system  affording  a  hope  of  mental  cure.  They 
are  simply  places  of  confinement,  without  the  possibility  of  beneficial  effect 
upon  the  unhappy  persons  afflicted  with  the  dreadful  malady  of  insanity 
further  than  placing  them  out  of  the  reach  of  danger  to  others,  and  dimin- 
ishing that  to  themselves  which  would  result  from  their  personal  freedom. 
Indeed,  they  rather  resemble  places  for  criminals  (the  said  six  moral  cells 
at  Quebec  excepted),  and  are  more  likely  to  produce  or  increase  insanity 
than  to  cure  it.^ 

Since  1800,  by  the  above-said  returns,  there  have  been  confined  in  the 
cells  of  the  three  districts  207  insane  persons,  whereof  93  have  been  dis- 
charged, 88  died,  and  26  remain  confined.  Such  part  thereof  as  may  have 
been  apparently  cured  or  relieved  must  have  proceeded  from  constitutional 
or  accidental  causes,  and  not  from  benefits  attendant  on  moral  or  medical 
treatment  during  their  confinement  in  those  miserable  abodes. 

In  the  year  1818  there  was  granted  the  sum  of  £2500  currency  for 
erecting  additional  cells  and  making  repairs  at  the  General  Hospital  of 
Quebec,  and  £336  since  for  other  repairs  thereto.  And  in  1818  £2000  for 
the  like  purpose  at  Montreal. 

The  ladies  of  the  Hopital  General  there,  and  Doctor  Selby  senior,  the 
attending  physician,  to  their  honor  declined  to  receive  the  £2000,  as  it 
would  increase  what  is  in  itself  bad  and  inadequate  to  the  object. 

It  is  therefore  deeply  to  be  regretted  that  so  much  public  money  should 
have  been  expended  in  the  several  districts  upon  these  miserable  expe- 
dients, in  lieu  of  an  establishment  for  the  insane;  when  by  the  application 
of  that  money  to  the  same  humane  object  upon  a  proper  principle,  a  lunatic 
asylum  might  have  been  erected  calculated  to  do  honor  to  the  province, 
instead  of  being  a  reproach. 

'  This  must  necessarily  have  been  the  case,  as  in  the  evidence  taken  it 
was  shown  that  an  open  trough  in  each  cell,  leading  into  a  common  drain, 
was  the  only  means  of  carrying  off  the  excreta. 

^  The  committee  exonerated  the  religious  ladies  from  all  blame,  as 
they  were  acting  up  to  their  light,  and  each  hospital  was  under  the  charge 
of  an  eminent  medical  man.  The  Reverend  Lady  Superioress  of  the  Three 
Rivers  establishment,  when  asked  the  question  as  to  whether  the  treat- 
ment and  accommodations  were  calculated  to  assist  in  the  cure  of  the 
patients,  sincerely  answered  that  "  the  insane  receive  the  treatment  proper 
for  their  cure,  and  their  accommodation  is  such  that  they  can  be  treated  in 
a  manner  to  relieve  their  suffering,  which  is  done  with  the  tenderest  care." 
This  opinion  was  expressed  just  after  the  Lady  Superioress  testified  that  the 
insane  were  immured  night  and  day  in  the  same  cell,  but  that  one  of  their 
four  patients  was  sane  enough  to  be  permitted  to  take  the  air  and  some 
exercise  for  a  few  days  each  month. 


254  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF    THE   INSANE 

In  the  treatment  of  the  insane  in  other  countries,  a  great  and  happy 
change  has  been  wrought  of  late  years — coercion  and  confinement  beyond 
that  which  may  be  indispensably  necessary  in  special  cases  are  proscribed ; 
and  mildness  of  treatment,  with  enjoyment  of  air,  exercise  and  amusement 
out  of  doors,  and  comforts  within,  are  substituted  where  practicable,  with 
the  happiest  effects.  To  each  asylum,  a  considerable  portion  of  ground  is 
attached  for  those  purposes. 

The  security  consistent  with  the  safety  of  the  insane,  their  connections 
and  general  society,  can  hardly  ever,  in  the  heartrending  circumstances 
attendant  on  mental  derangement,  be  enjoyed  in  the  dwellings  of  private 
families ;  removal  from  home  therefore  is  generally  necessary,  in  most 
cases  is  desirable,  and  tends  to  destroy  or  weaken  the  morbid  associations. 

The  committee  find  that  the  want  of  a  public  lunatic  asylum  impedes  the 
administration  of  justice  by  obliging  the  judges,  from  necessity,  to  condemn 
insane  criminals,  when  convicted,  to  be  confined  in  the  common  jails  and 
houses  of  correction,  where  their  situation  is  deplorable  to  themselves, 
and  a  nuisance  to  the  other  persons  confined  therein,  besides  interfering 
with  the  classification  of  prisoners.  The  turnkeys  and  keepers  in  those 
establishments  cannot  be  expected  to  possess  qualifications  requisite  for 
the  management  of  insane  persons.  Three  of  that  description  are  now  in 
the  jail  at  Quebec;  seven  in  the  jail  and  two  in  the  temporary  house  of 
correction  at  Montreal.    None  at  Three  Rivers  at  present. 

With  a  view  to  general  utility  and  economy,  the  benefits  of  a  lunatic 
asylum  should  be  extended  to  the  whole  province,  and  not  confined  to 
districts.  Indeed,  it  might  embrace  both  the  provinces  of  Canada,  in  con- 
tribution to  the  expense  and  enjoyment  of  its  advantages. 

This  being  a  general  object  of  great  importance,  a  portion  of  the  public 
revenue  could,  with  great  propriety,  be  applied  to  the  purchase  of  the 
ground,  erection  of  the  building,  and  annual  support  of  the  establishment. 
The  site  should  be  healthy,  and  in  the  neighborhood  of  a  populous  town, 
but  at  such  a  distance  as  to  possess  the  advantage  of  retirement,  yet  admit 
of  the  benefit  of  medical  aid,  and  enable  the  institution  to  be  regularly 
visited,  which  is  of  much  moment. 

After  describing  in  detail  the  lunatic  asylum  at  Glasgow,  Scot- 
land, and  recommending  this  as  a  model,  the  report  continues  : 

The  committee,  therefore,  cannot  but  confidently  hope  in  the  means 
being  supplied  by  constitutional  authority  for  the  establishment  of  an 
institution  recommended  by  the  best  feelings  of  our  nature,  as  no  human 
being  can  be  considered  exempt  from  insanity,  that  awful  visitation  of  the 
Almighty. 

In  their  final  resolutions  the  committee  further  said : 

Resolved,  as  the  opinion  of  this  committee ;  that  the  cells  appropriated 
to  the  insane  in  this  province  do  not  admit  of  properly  applying  either  moral 
or  medical  treatment,  with  a  hope  to  a  mental  cure  of  the  unhappy  persons 
confined  therein,  and  are  more  likely  to  produce  or  increase  insanity  than 
to  remove  it. 


QUEBEC  255 

Resolved,  as  the  opinion  of  this  committee;  that  humanity  loudly  calls 
for  the  establishment  of  a  lunatic  asylum  for  the  whole  province,  or  for 
both  provinces,  for  the  reception  and  treatment  for  cure  of  the  insane, 
upon  the  improved  modern  system,  as  also  for  the  ultimate  care  and  sup- 
port of  such  as  are  incurable,  and  that  such  asylum  should  be  erected  in 
the  neighborhood  of  one  of  the  populous  cities  of  this  province,  so  as  to 
have  the  benefit  of  medical  aid  and  adequate  frequent  visitation. 

Resolved,  as  the  opinion  of  this  committee;  that  the  monies  which  have 
been  expended  for  the  confinement  and  support  of  the  insane  in  this 
province  since  the  year  1800  would  have  sufficed  for  the  erection  of  a  lunatic 
asylum  that  would  have  done  honor  to  the  humanity  and  philanthropy  of 
the  country. 

Dr.  Hackett  in  his  letter,  previously  mentioned,  to  Sir  John 
Sherbrooke,  in  1816,  portrays  in  detail  the  inadequacy  of  the 
treatment  of  the  insane  possible  in  the  Quebec  General  Hospital, 
and  concludes  as  follows : 

The  impracticability,  at  present,  of  adopting  even  any  part  of  the  modern 
improved  plan  of  treating  the  insane,  will  be  obvious  to  Your  Excellency; 
therefore,  under  existing  circumstances,  I  conceive  medical  treatment 
perfectly  useless,  and  any  attempt  at  moral,  not  only  absurd,  but,  in  truth, 
bordering  on  the  ridiculous. 

(Signed)     W.  Hackett,  M.  D. 

This  report  was  published,  but,  despite  the  distressful  state  of 
affairs  shown  to  exist,  no  action  was  taken  by  the  government  for 
more  than  20  years  thereafter. 

Sir  Charles  T.  Metcalfe  was  appointed  to  the  Governor-General- 
ship of  Canada  in  1843,  ^^^  ^^  his  first  address  to  the  House  at  the 
opening  of  the  session,  dilated  largely  on  the  urgent  necessity  of  an 
improved  system  for  the  treatment  of  the  insane. 

At  the  same  session  the  Hon.  T.  C.  Aylwin  gave  notice  of  his 
intention  to  present  a  bill  for  the  better  care  and  treatment  of 
lunatics.  On  account,  however,  of  the  pressure  of  other  business 
the  said  bill  was  not  introduced. 

During  the  recess  the  government  caused  the  various  houses 
accommodating  insane  inmates  to  be  inspected,  and  had  estimates 
made  as  to  the  cost  of  their  removal  to  the  country,  their  main- 
tenance in  a  special  institution,  and  their  medical  treatment. 

At  the  next  session  of  the  Legislature  the  government  again 
called  the  attention  of  the  House  to  the  subject  of  the  insane,  but 
the  session  was  short,  and  it  was  found  impossible  to  take  the 
matter  up. 


256  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

By  1845  the  number  of  insane  had  increased  to  such  an  extent 
that  the  provision  of  a  special  institution  for  them  had  become  a 
crying  necessity.  The  grand  jury  made  a  very  strenuous  report  on 
the  subject,  pointing  out  in  no  measured  terms  the  disgrace  to  the 
province  attendant  on  the  existing  state  of  affairs.  As  a  result 
His  Excellency  entered  into  an  arrangement  with  Dr.  James  Doug- 
las, of  Quebec,  who  agreed  to  take  charge  of  the  insane  for  a 
period  of  three  years  on  the  understanding  that  the  government 
would  then  have  a  suitable  place  provided  for  them.  Since  that 
time  they  have  received  much  better  care,  but  the  vicious  system 
of  "  farming-out,"  which  had  existed  so  long,  was  perpetuated  in 
the  province,  owing  to  the  urgent  demand  for  immediate  action. 

Quebec  is  the  only  one  of  the  provinces  of  the  Dominion  in 
which  there  are  no  state  institutions  for  the  care  of  the  insane, 
its  provision  for  this  unfortunate  class  consisting  of  four  pro- 
prietary establishments  and  one  incorporated  charitable  institution. 
The  former  are  the  Quebec  Lunatic  Asylum,  St.  Jean  de  Dieu 
Asylum,  St.  Julien  Asylum,  and  Baie  St.  Paul  Asylum ;  the  latter 
is  the  Protestant  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  situated  on  the  outskirts 
of  Montreal.  There  is  in  addition  an  establishment  for  private 
patients,  known  as  St.  Benedict  Joseph  Asylum. 

BEAUPORT  ASYLUM. 

Beauport,  or  the  Quebec  Lunatic  Asylum,  now  officially  desig- 
nated St,  Michel  de  Beauport  Asylum,  is  the  oldest  of  the  Quebec 
institutions,  having  entered  upon  the  71st  year  of  its  existence. 

As  aforesaid,  in  1845  the  demand  for  increased  and  improved 
accommodation  for  the  insane  had  become  imperative.  The 
government,  however,  was  unwilling  or  unable  to  undertake  the 
erection  of  a  special  institution.  Under  these  circumstances.  Lord 
Metcalfe,  then  Governor-General  of  Canada,  entered  into  an  agree- 
ment with  one  of  the  leading  medical  men  of  the  City  of  Quebec, 
Dr.  Jas.  Douglas,  who  undertook  to  provide  for  the  unfortunates 
for  a  period  of  three  years.  Dr.  Douglas  associated  with  him  in 
the  enterprise,  as  partners,  two  other  prominent  Quebec  physicians, 
Drs.  Fremont  and  Morrin.  Lord  Metcalfe  warmly  encouraged 
the  project  by  promising  the  support  of  the  government,  also 
undertaking  the  removal  to  the  proposed  establishment,  when 


QUEBEC  257 

fitted  up,  of  all  the  lunatics  then  confined  in  the  General  Hospital 
at  Quebec,  the  nunnery  at  Three  Rivers,  and  the  jail  at  Montreal/ 

The  proposers  of  the  scheme  at  once  set  about  its  accomplish- 
ment. To  this  end  they  acquired  by  lease  from  Colonel  Gugy, 
M.  P.  P.,  a  property  known  as  Danoe,  once  the  manor-house  of 
M.  Gififard,  seigneur  of  Beauport,  built  in  1634.  It  was  situated 
in  the  parish  of  Beauport,  whence  the  name  of  the  asylum,  two  and 
a  half  miles  from  the  city,  and  comprised  about  200  acres  of  land 
commanding  a  magnificent  view  of  the  city  and  harbor  of  Quebec. 
There  was  in  addition  to  the  family  mansion,  which  was  a  large 
two-story  stone  edifice,  an  extensive  block  of  out-buildings,  also 
of  stone. 

By  the  15th  of  September,  1845,  the  establishment  had  been 
prepared  for  the  reception  of  120  patients,  and  on  that  date  the 
lunatics  in  charge  of  the  religious  ladies  of  the  General  Hospital  of 
Quebec  were  removed  thither.  They  numbered  23.  Of  these 
poor  creatures,  one  had  been  confined  28  years,  and  several  up- 
wards of  20  years,  in  small,  dark  stone  cells,  which  they  had  never 
been  allowed  to  leave.  Their  delight  upon  again  being  restored  to 
light  and  comparative  freedom  can  well  be  imagined.  The  story 
of  the  removal  and  its  results  is  thus  dramatically  given  in  the  first 
report  of  the  proprietors,  published  at  Quebec  in  January,  1849  • 

They  were  removed  in  open  carriages  and  in  cabs.  They  offered  no 
resistance — on  the  contrary,  they  were  delighted  with  the  ride;  and  the 
view  of  the  city,  the  river,  trees,  and  the  passers-by  excited  in  them  the 
most  pleasurable  emotions.  On  their  arrival  at  the  asylum  at  Beauport 
they  were  placed  together  at  table  for  breakfast;  and  it  was  most  inter- 
esting to  witness  the  propriety  of  their  conduct,  to  watch  their  actions, 
to  listen  to  their  conversation  with  each  other,  and  to  remark  the  amaze- 
ment with  which  they  regarded  everything  around  them.  All  traces  of 
ferocity,  turbulence  and  noise  had  suddenly  vanished;  they  found  them- 
selves again  in  the  world  and  treated  like  rational  beings ;  and  they  en- 
deavored to  behave  as  such.  One,  a  man  of  education  and  talents,  whose 
mind  was  in  fragments,  but  whose  recollection  of  a  confinement  of  28 
years  was  most  vivid,  wandered  from  window  to  window.    He  saw  Quebec 

^  After  the  abandonment  of  the  care  of  the  insane  by  the  Grey  Nuns  of 
Montreal,  in  1831,  lunatics  of  the  district  were  confined  in  the  jail.  This 
structure  was  destitute  of  almost  every  requisite  for  an  asylum.  It  was 
surrounded  by  buildings,  there  was  no  land  on  which  the  patients  could 
be  employed,  the  yards  were  insufficient  for  exercise,  and,  moreover,  the 
building  was  required  for  its  more  legitimate  purposes. 


258  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE  |OF    THE   INSANE 

and  knew  it  to  be  a  city ;  he  knew  ships  and  boats  on  the  river  and  bay, 
but  could  not  comprehend  steamers.  Before  leaving  the  General  Hospital 
the  nuns  had  clothed  him  well  and  given  him  a  pair  of  shoes.  He  re- 
marked that  he  had  been  a  long  time  shut  up,  and  that  it  was  19  years  since 
he  had  last  seen  leather.  Another,  a  man  who  had  been  confined  20  years, 
and  who  had  always  evinced  a  turbulent  disposition,  demanded  a  broom, 
and  commenced  sweeping;  he  insisted  on  the  others  employing  themselves 
also.  He  observed :  "  These  poor  people  are  all  fools,  and  if  you  will 
give  me  a  constable's  staff,  you  will  see  how  I  will  manage  them,  and 
make  them  work." 

As  soon  as  their  muscular  powers  were  sufficiently  restored  the  patients 
were  induced  to  employ  themselves  in  occupations  the  most  congenial  to 
their  former  habits  and  tastes.  Some  worked  in  the  garden;  others  pre- 
ferred sawing  and  splitting  wood.  The  female  patients  were  taken  out 
daily,  and  many  of  them  engaged  in  weeding  the  garden. 

The  effects  of  this  system  were  soon  apparent  in  their  improved  health 
and  spirits ;  they  became  stronger,  and  ate  and  slept  better.  Some  of  them 
were  restored  to  reason.  One  had  been  confined  many  years  in  a  cell  in 
the  General  Hospital;  13  months  after  his  removal  to  the  asylum  at 
Beauport  he  was  restored  to  his  family  and  friends;  another  had  also 
been  an  inmate  of  a  cell  several  years,  and  after  her  discharge  from  the 
asylum  engaged  as  a  school  teacher.  The  other  patients  generally,  though 
greatly  improved,  afforded  small  prospect  of  recovery It  is,  how- 
ever, gratifying  to  be  able  to  state  that  of  all  those  removed  from  the 
General  Hospital  to  the  asylum  at  Beauport,  one  only  has  been  subject 
to  even  temporary  restraint. 

On  September  28,  after  the  arrival  of  the  Quebec  contingent,  the 
patients  confined  in  Montreal  jail,  52  in  number,  were  transferred 
to  Beauport,  followed,  on  October  5,  by  those  in  Three  Rivers, 
numbering  seven.  The  condition  of  the  latter  was  much  more 
wretched  than  that  of  those  from  Quebec  and  Montreal.  Some  of 
them  had  been  for  years  kept  fastened  to  staples  driven  into  the 
floors  of  their  cells,  and  all  arrived  at  Beauport  chained  and 
handcuffed.  For  a  picture  of  one  of  this  detachment  we  are 
indebted  to  the  same  source  as  before  referred  to : 

One  of  these  patients,  a  Canadian,  and  a  powerfully  made  man,  was 
pointed  out  by  his  keeper  as  being  extremely  violent  and  dangerous.  He 
strongly  opposed  his  being  unfastened ;  this,  however,  was  done  on  board 
of  the  steamer  and  he  was  conducted  to  a  cab,  which  he  entered  without 
any  opposition  or  reluctance.  He  answered  to  the  name  of  Jacques,  but 
could  give  no  account  of  himself  whatever.  He  had  been  picked  up  in 
the  woods  on  the  River  St.  Maurice,  with  his  feet  frozen,  and  had  been 
confined  in  the  cell  at  Three  Rivers  during  a  period  of  seven  years.  A 
few  days  after  his  removal  to  Beauport,  observing  a  man  sawing  wood,  he 


QUEBEC  259 

pushed  him  aside,  took  the  saw  and  used  it  himself ;  this  seemed  to  aflford 
him  great  pleasure.  When  not  so  employed  out  of  doors  his  constant 
amusement  was  in  fishing.  He  would  stand  for  hours  together  as  if 
using  a  rod  and  line,  and  sometimes  as  if  fishing  through  a  hole  in  the  ice. 
He  was  found  to  be  quite  inoffensive  and  harmless.  He  died  of  diseased 
lungs  on  the  7th  of  March,  1846.  Soon  after  his  death,  his  brother  and 
son  arrived  from  the  neighborhood  of  Montreal  in  search  of  him,  being 
attracted  by  a  notice  in  the  public  prints,  that  an  insane  man,  who  could 
give  no  account  of  himself,  had  been  found  wandering  in  one  of  the 
parishes  below  Quebec,  and  sent  to  the  asylum  at  Beauport.  His  friends 
stated  that  Jacques  had  escaped  from  their  charge  several  years  before 
and  that,  not  being  able  to  trace  him  or  gain  any  tidings  of  him,  they  con- 
cluded that  he  had  perished  in  the  woods. 

The  agreement  of  the  proprietors  of  Beauport  with  the  govern- 
ment was  that  they  should  be  paid  at  the  rate  of  $143  annually 
for  each  public  patient,  said  sum  to  include  board,  lodging  and 
medical  treatment.  The  last  was  immediately  directed  by  Dr.  A. 
Von  Iffland,  who  was  appointed  resident  physician.  This  position 
he  retained  up  to  1849,  when  he  resigned  to  take  charge  of  the 
Marine  Hospital  at  Quebec. 

Being  subsidized  by  the  state,  the  establishment  was  placed 
under  the  supervision  of  a  board  of  commissioners,  composed  of 
Hon.  Louis  Massue,  Hon.  John  Neilson,  Joseph  Painchaud,  M.  D., 
James  Gibb,  Esq.,  Peter  Langlois,  Esq.,  Henry  Jessop,  Esq.,  and 
John  Irvine,  Esq.*  On  the  assembly  of  the  commission,  Mr.  A. 
Lemoine  was  appointed  secretary. 

The  first  contract  of  the  proprietors  with  the  government  for 
the  care  of  the  insane  from  the  different  districts  of  Lower  Canada, 
which  had  been  for  a  term  of  three  years,  expired  October  i, 
1848.  On  its  renewal  for  a  further  period  of  seven  years,  they 
determined  to  seek  fresh  quarters  for  their  charges.  This  step 
was  rendered  necessary  by  the  fact  that  the  original  building  was 
capable  of  accommodating  128  patients  only,  whereas  the  number 
on  the  date  of  the  expiration  of  the  contract  had  reached  130,  with 
every  prospect  of  a  speedy  increase.  A  fine  property  of  170  acres 
belonging  to  Judge  de  Bonne,  lying  near  the  St.  Lawrence,  was 
accordingly  purchased.  It  was  located  in  the  parish  of  St.  Roch, 
on  the  "  Chemin  de  la  Canardiere,"  about  a  mile  from  the  parent 
institution.     Here,  in   1848,  was  begun  the  erection  of  a  new 

*  Canada  Gazette,  Montreal,  February  16,  1846,  p.  2574. 


260  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

asylum,  which  was  opened  in  April,  1850.  The  building,  which 
had  a  capacity  of  275  beds,  was  constructed  of  gray,  coursed  lime- 
stone, was  roofed  with  slate,  and  surmounted  by  a  dome  and 
lantern.  It  was  a  two-story  structure,  with  basement  and  attic, 
consisting  of  a  central  portion  and  wings,  the  whole  giving  a 
frontage  of  418  feet.  The  cost  of  land  and  buildings  was  upwards 
of  i 1 2,000.  With  the  change  of  location  the  name  of  the  estab- 
lishment was  altered  from  Beauport  Asylum  to  the  Quebec  Lunatic 
Asylum. 

That  Dr.  Douglas  was  well  abreast  of  the  times  and  fully 
realized  the  value  of  non-restraint  in  the  care  of  the  insane  is 
proven  by  the  following  extract  taken  from  his  second  report, 
issued  in  185 1 : 

With  regard  to  restraining  apparatus,  the  mitts  have  been  abandoned, 
and  the  only  restraint  now  used  is  the  leather  body  strap,  and  this  for  the 
purpose  of  preventing  the  patient  injuring  himself — never  for  the  purpose 
of  preventing  him  from  injuring  others.  The  less  restraining  apparatus 
is  used,  the  more  vigilant  and  watchful  do  the  attendants  become.  In  the 
almost  entire  disuse  of  restraint,  we  may  observe  that  no  successful  suicide 
has  taken  place,  and  no  serious  injury  has  at  any  time  been  inflicted  by  any 
patient,  either  on  himself  or  on  others. 

In  the  third  and  fourth  reports,  issued  in  1855  and  1858,  the 
managers  complain  greatly  with  regard  to  the  crowding  of  the 
wards  with  incurables,  saying  that  as  these  could  not  be  made 
useful  at  home,  they  were  foisted  on  the  public.  In  this  way 
recent  cases  were  crowded  out  by  chronics.  Notwithstanding  their 
representations,  patients  were  forced  upon  the  contractors  far  in 
excess  of  accommodation. 

In  February,  1854,  the  western,  or  female,  wing  of  the  building 
was  destroyed  by  fire.  Providentially,  the  conflagration  was  un- 
attended by  loss  of  life.  Through  the  kindness  of  the  government 
the  patients,  numbering  98,  were  accommodated  in  a  part  of  the 
Marine  Hospital,  where  they  remained  up  to  May  following.  At 
that  date  they  were  transferred  to  a  large  two-story  stone  building 
adjoining  the  asylum  premises,  leased  for  the  purpose  and  sub- 
sequently purchased  from  Mr.  O.  L.  Richardson.  This  new  addi- 
tion, or  annex,  was  sometimes  known  as  the  "  White  House," 
from  its  being  brilliantly  whitewashed ;  sometimes,  as  the 
"  Richardson  House,"  from  the  name  of  its  former  owner.     In 


QUEBEC  261 

the  meantime,  a  contract  had  been  let  for  rebuilding  the  wing 
destroyed.  The  work  was  pushed  rapidly  on,  and  the  women  were 
soon  enabled  to  take  possession  of  their  new  home,  the  "White 
House "  being  reserved  for  the  reception  of  male  patients  of 
dirty  habits. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  1859  the  asylums  and  prisons  of  the 
united  provinces  of  Upper  and  Lower  Canada  were  placed  under 
the  control  of  a  board  of  inspectors.'  Beauport,  however,  as 
private  property  and  in  all  matters  of  internal  economy  subject  to 
the  proprietors  only,  passed  but  partially  within  the  jurisdiction  of 
this  board.  The  members  thereof  had  no  power  to  give  orders 
respecting  its  management,  their  duties  being  limited  to  inspecting 
and  making  report  of  its  condition  to  the  Governor-General.  In 
compliance  with  this  duty  the  inspectors,  in  their  first  report,  com- 
plained of  the  overcrowded  condition  of  the  institution,  and 
strongly  urged  the  necessity  for  the  foundation  of  another  asylum 
for  the  western  part  of  the  province.  The  services  of  a  resident 
physician  having  been  dispensed  with,  the  board  also  regretted 
the  want  of  such  an  ofificial.  Speaking  on  this  subject,  Mr.  Tache 
reported  as  follows : 

This  asylum  would  require  a  resident  physician  specially  devoted  to  the 
cure  of  insanity,  to  be  exclusively  charged  with  the  care  and  direction  of 
all  curative  measures.  True,  the  two  proprietors  of  this  establishment  are 
medical  men,  and  men  of  note  in  the  practice  of  the  profession,  and  one 
of  them  resides  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  asylum,  but  both  have 
other  and  numerous  occupations,  which,  of  necessity,  divert  them  from 
that  constant  application  of  mind  and  uninterrupted  observation  of  their 
charge  which  all  men  who  have  devoted  themselves  to  this  specialty  de- 
clare to  be  indispensable  to  the  scientific  management  and  treatment  of 
mental  alienation. 

Every  lunatic  asylum  has  one  or  several  physicians  living  in  the  midst 
of  the  patients,  seeing  them  several  times  every  day,  and  awaiting,  as  it 
were,  at  its  transit  the  proper  moment  for  a  beneficial  application  of  the 
teachings  of  science.  I  see  no  reason  why  it  should  continue  to  be  other- 
wise here.° 

The  want  thus  plainly  set  forth  was  remedied  in  1863,  when  the 
proprietors  once  more  appointed  a  resident  physician,  Dr.  L. 
Catellier. 

^  Consolidated  Statutes  of  Canada,  22  Vict.,  Cap.  no. 
"  Report  of  the  Board  of  Inspectors  of  Asylums,  Prisons,  etc.,  for  1861, 
p.  44. 


262  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

In  i860  Dr.  Morrin  disposed  of  his  interest  in  the  establishment 
to  Drs.  Douglas  and  Fremont,  and,  the  latter  dying  in  1862,  his 
share  was  purchased  from  his  representatives  by  Dr.  J.  E.  Landry. 
Under  the  new  management,  that  of  Drs.  Douglas  and  Landry, 
extensive  improvements  to  obviate  the  overcrowding  which  the 
inspectors  had  complained  of  were  determined  on.  These  im- 
provements, which  consisted  in  the  reconstruction  of  the  main 
building  and  the  erection  of  two  additional  wings,  were  begun  in 
the  spring  of  1862.  In  January,  1864,  the  new  premises  were 
occupied,  the  asylum  then  consisting  of  a  central  portion  four 
stories  high  and  wings  of  three  stories,  joined  to  the  central  or 
administration  part  by  connections  of  two  stories  with  attics.  From 
the  wings  extensions  projected  backward,  the  whole  forming  three 
sides  of  a  quadrangle.^ 

The  institution  as  thus  reorganized,  although  offering  com- 
fortable accommodation  for  450  patients,  was  soon  again  found 
inadequate  to  meet  the  ever-increasing  demands  for  admission. 
The  proprietors,  accordingly,  in  August,  1864,  began  the  erection 
of  a  large  detached  building,  capable  of  housing  300  inmates.  It 
was  designed  to  occupy  the  site  of  the  annex  known  as  the 
"  White  "  or  "  Richardson  House,"  which  had  to  be  pulled  down 
to  make  way  for  it.  In  consequence  of  this,  some  of  the  90 
patients  lodged  therein  had  to  be  crowded  into  the  main  building, 
and  others  received  in  a  cottage  originally  intended  for  the  family 
of  one  of  the  officers.  Work  was  pushed  forward  so  vigorously 
that  by  April,  1865,  the  building  was  sufficiently  advanced  to  admit 
of  the  removal  to  it  of  100  patients  from  the  main  asylum.  By 
September  of  that  year  the  edifice  was  completed.  The  new 
structure,  which  contained  within  itself  all  the  requirements,  such 
as  kitchen,  airing  courts,  etc.,  of  an  independent  asylum,  was 
devoted  exclusively  to  men,  the  main  building  being  reserved  for 
women.  Fifty  acres  of  land  were  at  the  same  time  added  to  the 
property  by  purchase,  bringing  the  total  area  up  to  225. 

In  reporting  on  this  new  annex  and  the  additions  made  to  the 
main  structure  in   1863,  the  inspectors  strongly  condemned  the 

'  In  connection  with  these  extensive  building  operations  at  the  expense 
of  the  proprietors,  it  is  to  be  observed  that  the  government  never  obli- 
gated  itself  to  buy  the  real  estate  of  the  contractor  at  the  termination  of 
a  contract. 


QUEBEC  263 

system  adopted  of  placing  the  dormitories,  like  prison  cells,  back 
to  back,  with  no  light  other  than  that  coming  from  the  corridor 
in  front  of  them  through  small  openings  in  the  doors.  As  a  result 
we  find  one  of  their  number,  Mr.  J.  M.  Ferres,  in  1864,  plainly- 
expressing  his  views  in  the  following  terms : 

When  the  additions  referred  to  were  first  spoken  of  it  was  expected  by 
the  Board  that  the  deplorable  overcrowding,  which  had  been  one  of  the 
distinguishing  features  of  the  old  buildings,  would  be  at  once  relieved. 
In  this,  however,  the  inspectors  have  not  only  been  disappointed,  but  the 
erection  of  the  additions  appears  to  have  been  made  an  excuse  for  jamming 
into  the  enlarged  establishment  unfortunate  beings,  in  still  greater  pro- 
portionate numbers,  than  there  previously  were  in  the  old  one.  Matters, 
therefore,  instead  of  being  ameliorated,  had  become  worse  in  respect  to 
numbers,  and  much  worse  in  respect  to  the  supply  of  fresh  air. 

Mr.  Inspector  Meredith  and  myself  having  made  an  inspection  together 
on  the  8th  September,  took,  at  the  same  time,  a  measurement  of  all  the 
rooms  then  occupied  as  dormitories,  when  we  found  that  many  of  them 
did  not  afford  more  than  350  cubic  feet  of  air  to  each  patient,  and  none  of 
them  500.  As  all  writers  are  agreed  that  a  space  of  not  less  than  800 
cubic  feet  should  be  given  to  each  patient,  with  good  ventilation,  an  idea 
may  be  formed  of  the  miserable  position  of  so  many  unfortunate  creatures 
cooped  up  in  pens,  in  cellars  and  garrets.  The  facts  which  we  became 
acquainted  with  at  that  visit  induced  me  to  examine  more  particularly  than 
I  had  hitherto  done  into  the  condition  of  this  asylum,  and  tended  much 
to  change  the  opinion  I  had  previously  formed  of  its  management. 

At  the  date  of  my  appointment  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Inspectors 
the  institution  was  in  a  very  overcrowded  state,  and,  considering  that 
state,  I  was  quite  ready  to  give  every  credit  for  the  care,  cleanliness  and 
other  marks  of  attention  at  all  times  visible. 

I  accepted  also  the  great  excess  of  the  population  above  the  capacity 
of  the  buildings  as  an  existing  fact,  without  speculating  very  particularly 
as  to  its  cause.  But  when  an  enlargement  of  the  buildings  took  place, 
professedly  for  the  very  purpose  of  giving  relief  to  the  pre-existing  excess, 
I  was  somewhat  taken  by  surprise  to  observe  that  it  was  accompanied,  even 
while  the  works  were  advancing,  with  a  continued  addition  to  the  numbers, 
so  that  when  it  was  fully  completed  the  same  and  indeed  worse  overcrowd- 
ing still  remained. 

The  thought  then  began  to  be  forced  on  me  that  the  interests  of  the 
lunatics,  their  health  and  comfort,  were  of  secondary  consideration 
throughout.  The  proprietors  give  their  assurance  of  their  having  informed 
the  government  that  their  institution  is  and  has  been  much  over-populated, 
and  I  have  no  reason,  of  course,  to  doubt  the  assurance,  and  it  may  have 
been  with  great  compunction  that  physicians  who  know  the  effects  upon 
lunatics  of  congregating  them  at  night  in  cribs  erected  in  badly  ventilated 
rooms,  under  such  circumstances,  consented  to  what,  as  professional  men, 
they  condemned.  I  venture  to  think,  also,  that  if  the  government  were 
21 


264  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE  OF   THE  INSANE 

made  sensible  that  the  purely  idiotic  patients  who  now  encumber  so  much 
the  Beauport  Asylum  could  be  safely  taken  care  of  by  their  relatives  at 
home,  and  were  made  aware  of  their  hopelessly  incurable  state,  as  well  as 
of  the  injury  which  their  presence  does  to  the  curable  insane,  the  pro- 
prietors would  be  relieved  of  further  pressure  on  the  part  of  the  govern- 
ment to  undertake  what,  professionally,  they  feel  they  ought  not  to  do. 

I  should  have  been  glad  to  see  the  proprietors  gradually  removing  those 
miserable  patients  who  occupy  the  confined  cells  in  the  garrets  of  their 
establishment  into  rooms  deserving  the  name  of  dormitories,  instead  of 
their  being  obliged  to  continue  locking  them  up  in  such  places,  by  con- 
tinuing to  receive  new  patients  beyond  their  means  to  accommodate  them. 

Let  the  responsibility  of  this  overcrowding  rest  where  it  may,  I  cannot 
but  condemn  the  fact  as  it  exists,  and  it  is  much  to  be  hoped  that  the 
present  state  of  things  may  be  soon  put  an  end  to.* 

A  year  later  the  inspectors  as  a  body  thus  proclaimed  their 
disapproval  of  what  is  known  as  the  "  farming-out  "  system : 

While  the  inspectors  cheerfully  and  thankfully  admit  that  the  Beauport 
Asylum  has  been  an  immense  boon  to  the  country,  they  cannot  conceal 
their  conviction  that  the  principle  upon  which  it  is  established  is  an  erro- 
neous one.  The  farming  out  of  lunatics  to  private  persons  is,  in  their 
opinion,  as  a  general  rule,  most  objectionable.  In  asylums  supported  by 
the  state,  the  medical  superintendent  in  charge  of  the  institution  has  no 
interest  which  conflicts  with  the  interests  of  the  patients  committed  to  his 
care;  but  in  proprietary  asylums  the  case  is  far  otherwise.  Here  it  is 
plainly  the  interest  of  the  proprietors  or  contractors  to  spend  as  little  as 
possible  upon  the  food  and  maintenance  of  the  patients,  and  to  get  as  large 
a  return  as  possible  from  them  in  the  shape  of  labour;  on  the  other  hand, 
it  is  to  the  interest  of  the  patients  that  they  should  be  fed  liberally,  even 
generously,  and  that  they  should  never  be  expected,  much  less  compelled, 
to  labour  harder  or  longer  than  they  wish.  A  system  can  hardly  be  expected 
to  work  satisfactorily  where  the  interests  of  the  parties  concerned  are  so 
essentially  at  variance.* 

During  1865,  in  addition  to  the  Board  of  Commissioners, 
which  still  continued  in  existence,  and  the  Board  of  Inspectors,  the 
government  decided  to  assign  a  visiting  physician  to  Beauport,  said 
officer  to  be  named  by  the  Governor-General,  but  paid  by  the 
proprietors.  Dr.  F.  E.  Roy  was  accordingly  appointed  to  the 
position,  but  at  the  close  of  the  year  he  became  a  part  proprietor 
of  the  institution  in  the  place  of  Dr.  Douglas,  the  last  survivor 

*  Report  of  the  Board  of  Inspectors  of  Asylums,  Prisons,  etc.,  for  1864, 
p.  58. 

*  Fifth  Annual  Report  of  the  Board  of  Inspectors  of  Asylums,  Prisons, 
etc.,  for  the  year  1865,  p.  6. 


QUEBEC  265 

of  the  original  founders,  who  sold  out  his  interest  in  the  estab- 
lishment and  retired/  Dr.  Roy  was  succeeded  as  government 
visiting  physician  by  Dr.  A.  Jackson. 

After  his  retirement  in  January,  1866,  Dr.  Douglas  lived  for  a 
time  in  a  residence  that  he  had  erected  for  himself  near  the  asylum, 
but  in  1875  he  sold  this  to  Dr.  Landry  and  removed  with  his  son 
to  Phoenixville,  Pa.,  and  later  to  New  York,  where  he  died  in  1886. 

The  records  of  patients,  as  kept  at  this  time  in  Beauport,  were 
of  the  loosest,  nor  were  the  proprietors  altogether  to  blame,  as 
evidenced  by  their  complaining  in  their  annual  report  for  1866 
that  in  cases  sent  to  them  from  jails  they  were  rarely  furnished  with 
any  information  other  than  the  name  of  the  patient.  This  cause  of 
complaint  was  stated  to  have  existed  for  over  twenty  years,  and,  as 
a  consequence,  there  were  many  patients  in  the  asylum  about  whom 
literally  nothing  beyond  the  name  was  known,  and  not  always  that 
to  a  certainty.  They,  therefore,  asked  the  government  to  insist 
that  the  jail  surgeons  should  send  a  proper  history  of  each  case, 
setting  forth  duration  of  attack,  probable  cause,  degree  of  heredity, 
etc.  This  was  done,  the  result  being  a  great  improvement  in  the 
statistical  registers  of  the  asylum. 

At  Confederation,  the  old  Board  of  Inspectors  ceased  to  exist 
as  regarded  the  supervision  of  lunatic  asylums,  which  became 
purely  provincial  institutions.  It  was  replaced  by  a  new  one, 
appointed  by  the  government  of  the  Province  of  Quebec.  This 
was  composed  of  three  members,  namely.  Dr.  L.  L.  Desaulniers, 
president;  Henry  H.  Miles,  Esq.,  LL.  D.,  secretary;  and  M. 
Boucher  de  la  Bruere. 

On  January  29,  1875,  Beauport  was  again  visited  by  fire,  the 
work  of  an  insane  woman,  this  time  unfortunately  with  fatal 
results.  As  before,  the  women's  department  was  the  scene  of  the 
conflagration,  which  resulted  in  the  death  of  26  of  the  inmates, 
and  the  destruction  of  much  of  the  main  edifice.  The  patients 
thus  deprived  of  shelter  were  housed  in  the  various  outbuildings 
and  cottages  of  the  employees  while  the  work  of  reconstruction 

^  That  this  retirement  was  not  voluntary,  but  forced  upon  him  by  political 
chicanery,  is  clearly  set  forth  by  Dr.  Douglas'  son,  Dr.  James  Douglas,  of 
New  York.  Vide  "  Journals  and  Reminiscences  of  James  Douglas,  M.  D." 
Edited  by  his  son  (James  Douglas,  LL.  D.)  and  privately  printed.  New 
York,  1910,  pages  213,  214  and  215. 


266  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

was  proceeded  with.  No  time  was  lost,  and  by  the  end  of  Sep- 
tember the  building  was  again  habitable.  In  reconstruction,  the 
former  plan  was  adhered  to,  but  the  central,  or  administration, 
portion  was  raised  to  five  stories,  with  mansard  roof.  Alterations 
and  additions  to  the  wings  and  rear  extensions  were  also  made 
whereby  the  outward  appearance  of  the  institution  was  greatly 
improved. 

In  November,  1879,  the  Board  of  Commissioners,  in  existence 
since  the  inception  of  the  establishment,  was  abolished,  and  an 
additional  visiting  physician  appointed  in  the  person  of  Dr.  A. 
Vallee. 

About  1880  differences  began  to  arise  between  the  government 
on  the  one  hand  and  the  proprietors  of  Beauport  and  the  more 
recently  created  St.  Jean  de  Dieu  Asylum  on  the  other.  These 
differences  had  reference  to  the  care  bestowed  upon  the  patients 
by  the  proprietors  and  the  degree  of  governmental  supervision 
to  be  exercised  over  the  admissions.  That  the  complaints  of  the 
government  were  not  without  cause,  was  clearly  shown  through  a 
report  made  by  Dr.  D.  Hack  Tuke,  of  London,  Eng.  This  world- 
renowned  alienist,  after  visiting  the  asylums  of  the  province  in  the 
summer  of  1884,  arraigned  in  no  measured  terms  the  "  farming- 
out,"  or  contract,  system,  the  general  care  given  the  patients,  the 
excessive  amount  of  restraint  employed,  and  the  lack  of  power 
vested  in  the  government  visiting  physicians.* 

This  expose  by  Dr.  Tuke  led  the  Medico-Chirurgical  Society 
of  ^lontreal  to  pass  a  series  of  resolutions  condemning  the  condi- 
tion of  the  asylimis,  and  calling  upon  the  government  to  institute 
a  thorough  investigation  and  to  take  action  thereon.  This  was 
done,  and  in  1885  ^^  ^ct  was  passed  placing  the  medical  control 
of  these  establishments  in  the  hands  of  the  government,  which 
reserved  to  itself  the  appointment  of  a  medical  superintendent  and 
assistant  physicians  for  each  of  them.^  These  officers,  in  each 
asylum,  constituted  a  medical  board,  to  which  was  given  supreme 
control  in  all  matters  relating  to  the  admission  and  discharge  of 
patients.  The  care  and  treatment  of  the  inmates  were  also  placed 
under  its  direction,  the  proprietors  being  bound  to  carry  out  all 

^The  Insane  in  the  United  States  and  Canada,  by  D.  Hack  Tuke,  M.  D., 
p.  203.    London,  1885. 
*  Statutes  of  Quebec,  48  Vict.,  Cap.  34. 


QUEBEC  267 

recommendations  made.  By  this  law,  Dr.  A.  Vallee,  previously 
government  visiting  physician,  became  the  first  government  medical 
superintendent  of  Beauport,  with  Drs.  Belanger  and  Marois  as 
assistants. 

The  resistance  offered  to  reform  by  the  proprietors  of  the  two 
asylums  was  strenuous  and  persistent.  The  result  was  that  in 
September,  1887,  a  Royal  Commission  was  constituted  to  inquire 
into  the  difficulties  which  had  arisen  in  consequence  of  the  attempt 
to  enforce  the  statute,  and  whether  it  exceeded  the  rights  which 
the  government  held  under  its  contracts  with  the  proprietors. 

The  members  of  this  commission  were  Messrs.  J.  A.  Duchesneau, 
J.  P.  Lavoie,  M.  D.  L.,  and  W.  Rhodes,  who  visited  Beauport 
Asylum,  October  20.  Their  report  was  far  from  creditable  to  the 
authorities  of  that  institution.  The  bath-rooms  and  privies  were 
badly  kept,  dirty  and  without  ventilation ;  there  were  numerous 
cells,  all  back  to  back,  lighted  only  from  the  corridors  by  small 
openings  in  the  doors  or  above  them ;  the  food  was  deficient,  both  in 
quality  and  quantity ;  all  the  dishes,  cups,  etc.,  were  of  tin,  and  the 
patients  were  allowed  only  a  spoon,  many  of  them  eating  with  their 
fingers ;  all  the  wards  were  overcrowded,  and  there  was  no  attempt 
at  classification ;  restraint  was  in  excessive  use,  and  in  some  cases 
patients  bore  the  marks  of  blows  they  had  received ;  in  several  of 
the  male  wards  the  patients  were  dirty,  scantily  clothed,  and  in  a 
most  pitiable  state,  their  cells  were  also  dirty,  badly  aired  and 
without  light ;  work  was  not  used  as  a  method  of  treatment,  and 
many  of  the  patients  never  got  out  at  all;  recreation  was  almost 
a  thing  unknown.  The  commission  also  found  that  the  attendants 
were  far  too  few  in  number,  averaging  in  the  male  department 
only  I  to  23  or  24  patients ;  in  the  female,  i  to  12.  In  addition, 
this  average  was  often  greatly  diminished,  especially  amongst  the 
men,  through  the  keepers,  during  the  day,  being  employed  outside 
the  wards,  which  remained  either  without  an  attendant  altogether, 
or  with  only  one  for  two  wards.  For  night  service  the  attendance 
was  still  less.  As  a  rule,  the  keepers  could  neither  read  nor  write, 
and  the  wages  paid  were  of  the  lowest,  male  attendants  receiving 
only  $8  to  $10  per  month  in  winter,  and  $12  in  summer ;  female, 
$4.50  to  $5  per  month.  One  physician  had  charge  of  the  patients 
of  both  male  and  female  departments,  884  in  number,  and  had  in 
addition  to  keep  the  registers  and  carry  on  the  correspondence.    He 


268  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE  OF   THE   INSANE 

had  no  control  over  the  employees,  who  were  engaged  and  dis- 
missed by  the  warden.  The  means  of  mechanical  restraint  in  use 
were  mittens,  muffs,  wristlets,  waist-belts,  strait- jackets  of  leather 
and  cotton,  and  crib-beds ;  its  employment  seemed  to  be  left  en- 
tirely to  the  discretion  of  the  keepers."^ 

The  conclusions  arrived  at  by  the  commission  with  regard  to 
Beauport  were  that  the  institution  was  much  behind  those  of  other 
countries  in  many  important  details,  and  that  the  proprietors  were 
not  fulfilling  the  conditions  of  their  contract  with  the  government. 
On  these  grounds  they  recommended  the  cancellation  of  the  con- 
tract, the  acquirement  of  the  asylum  by  the  government,  and  the 
commitment  of  its  internal  administration  to  a  religious  com- 
munity, said  commitment  to  be  safeguarded  by  confining  the  role 
of  the  religieuses  exclusively  to  the  domestic  and  administrative 
management.  The  commission  also  condemned,  on  general  prin- 
ciples, the  "  farming-out "  system,  and  enunciated  the  doctrine 
that  the  medical  superintendent  "  should  be  the  head  of  the  estab- 
lishment, be  in  authority  and  have  under  his  own  absolute  direction 
the  medical,  moral  and  dietetic  treatment  of  the  patients."  * 

The  recommendation  of  the  commission  as  regarded  the  can- 
cellation of  the  Beauport  contract  was  not  acted  upon,  but  steps 
were  taken  to  remedy  some  of  the  graver  abuses.  On  its  expiration, 
however,  in  April,  1893,  the  asylum  and  the  contract  passed  by 
purchase  from  the  hands  of  its  former  proprietors  into  those  of 
the  Sisters  of  Charity  of  Quebec,  with  whom  the  government  made 
a  fresh  agreement  for  the  maintenance  of  the  public  insane  at 
$100  annually  per  head. 

Under  the  new  contract  the  medical  control  was  kept  in  the 
hands  of  the  government,  and  Dr.  Vallee  became  medical  super- 
intendent in  the  true  sense  of  the  word.  Dr.  Vallee  soon  proved 
himself  well  fitted  to  wield  the  increased  powers  intrusted  to  him. 
Under  his  directions  the  Sisters  in  1893  in  the  women's  building, 
and  in  1894  in  the  men's,  went  to  a  large  expense  in  making  changes 
and  improvements.  The  water-closet,  heating  and  ventilating 
systems  were  completely  modernized,  and  structural  alterations 
made  which  greatly  increased  the  comfort  of  the  patients  and  the 

*  Report  of  Royal  Commission  on  Lunatic  Asylums  of  the  Province  of 
Quebec,  1888,  p.  27. 
'Ibid.,  p.  166. 


QUEBEC  269 

facilities  for  proper  classification.  The  old  cells  in  the  male 
department,  badly  lighted  and  badly  ventilated,  gave  place  to  rooms 
into  which  light  and  air  came  directly  from  the  windows,  and  the 
whole  establishment  was  soon  placed  on  a  much  superior  footing.^ 
As  an  alienist  Dr.  Vallee  held  modern  views  with  regard  to  the 
necessity  for  clinical  instruction  in  mental  diseases  to  students, 
the  great  benefits  to  be  derived  from  the  occupation  and  amuse- 
ment of  patients,  and  the  manifold  advantages  of  the  total  aboli- 
tion of  mechanical  restraint.  His  views  on  the  last-named  point 
were  thus  plainly  set  forth  in  his  annual  report  for  1894 : 

Whilst  striving  to  introduce  work  amongst  our  patients,  we  have  suc- 
ceeded in  causing  the  disappearance  of  all  mechanical  restraint.  Under 
these  circumstances  this  problem  was  not  easy  to  solve,  for  it  will  be 
admitted  that  it  is  more  difficult,  in  an  already  old  institution,  to  break 
away  from  ancient  traditions  than  to  establish  at  the  outset  a  new  rule 
of  conduct  in  a  new  organization.  We  met  with  some  difficulties  in  the 
beginning,  but  they  were  soon  smoothed  over,  thanks  to  the  ingenious 
devotedness  of  the  Sisters.  To-day  every  one  is  so  convinced  of  the 
superiority  of  this  system  over  that  of  restraint  that  no  one  would  think 
of  returning  to  the  latter.  Where  there  is  a  case  of  extreme  violence  they 
always  come  to  us  for  help  and  advice,  but  there  is  no  longer  any  question 
of  straps  and  strait-jackets,  which  have,  moreover,  completely  disap- 
peared from  the  wards.  This  system  necessarily  demands  more  attention 
on  the  part  of  the  guardians  and  physicians,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
general  appearance  of  the  different  wards  is  so  perceptibly  improved  that 
it  is  more  than  sufficient  compensation.* 

On  February  4,  1896,  Beauport  was  visited  by  yet  another  fire, 
this  time  in  the  center  building  of  the  male  department.  Happily, 
on  this  occasion  there  was  no  loss  of  life.  The  damage  done  was 
comparatively  slight,  and  was  soon  made  good. 

Dr.  Vallee  having  died  on  January  23,  1903,  was  succeeded  by 
Dr.  D.  Brochu,  a  leading  physician  of  Quebec.  He  still  remains  in 
office,  his  appointment  dating  from  February  13,  1903.  Sister 
Ste.  Calixte  is  the  superioress  and  in  charge  of  all  domestic 
arrangements,  which  are  carried  on  by  the  Sisters,  who  also  do 
the  greater  part  of  the  nursing. 

Since  Dr.  Brochu's  assumption  of  office  several  important  addi- 
tions to  and  improvements  in  the  establishment  have  been  made. 

^  The  work  of  replacing  the  cells  in  the  female  department  by  similar 
well-ventilated  and  well-lighted  rooms  was  commenced  in  1896. 

*  Report  of  the  Quebec  Lunatic  Asylum  for  the  year  1894,  by  the  medical 
superintendent. 


270  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

Thus,  between  1904  and  1906  two  pavilions  were  built  to  meet  the 
ever-increasing  demand  for  more  room,  while  later  an  additional 
story  was  added  to  the  west  wing  of  the  women's  building  to 
accommodate  100  patients.  Other  needed  changes  have  been 
pointed  out  by  the  superintendent,  but  the  Sisters,  although  agree- 
ing with  the  need  for  them,  justly  plead  that  they  are  unable  to 
meet  all  these  demands  at  the  present  rate  fixed  by  the  government. 
This,  which  is  $120  per  annum  per  capita,  is  decidedly  too  low 
considering  the  steadily  increasing  cost  of  the  necessaries  of  life, 
which  is  much  in  excess  of  what  it  was  when  their  contract  was 
made.  Of  the  Sisters  as  nurses  Dr.  Brochu  speaks  in  the  highest 
terms.  They  make,  in  his  opinion,  ideal  nurses,  being  enthusiastic 
in  their  work  to  the  highest  degree. 

The  asylum  population  at  the  close  of  the  year  1913  was  1360, 
but  the  superintendent  regarded  this  number  as  in  excess  of  the 
accommodation. 

ST.  JOHN'S  ASYLUM. 

As  already  stated,  the  Board  of  Inspectors  of  Asylums  and 
Prisons,  constituted  in  1859,  had  pointed  out  in  the  strongest  pos- 
sible terms  the  greatly  overcrowded  state  of  the  Beauport  Asylum 
and  the  urgent  necessity  for  the  creation  of  another  institution. 
The  government  accordingly  in  1861  responded  to  their  recom- 
mendation by  proposing  to  convert  the  old  military  barracks  at 
Fort  St.  Johns,  which  had  been  given  up  by  the  Imperial  authori- 
ties to  the  provincial  government,  into  an  asylum  for  the  western 
half  of  Lower  Canada.  To  this  end  Mr.  J.  C.  Tache,  one  of  the 
inspectors,  and  Dr.  Workman,  of  Toronto  Asylum,  were  commis- 
sioned to  visit  the  buildings  with  a  view  to  reporting  what  was 
necessary  to  be  done  in  order  to  fit  them  for  their  new  use.  The 
visit  was  made  and  Dr.  Henry  Howard  of  Montreal,  who  had  been 
appointed  medical  superintendent,  on  June  6  had  almost  completed 
the  arrangements  recommended,  when  the  threatening  prospect  of 
a  war  with  the  United  States,  owing  to  the  Trent  aflfair,  compelled 
the  home  government  to  resume  the  occupancy  of  Fort  St.  Johns 
for  purposes  of  defence. 

Under  these  circumstances  Dr.  Howard  advised  that  an  old 
building  in  St.  Johns,  formerly  used  as  a  court  house,  the  property 
of  the  government,  should  be  made  to  answer  for  a  few  months 


QUEBEC  271 

as  a  temporary  asylum  for  50  patients,  25  of  each  sex.  Being 
instructed  to  take  immediate  possession  and  fit  it  up  as  such,  he  at 
once  set  to  work,  and  on  August  2.y  was  able  to  receive  1 1  patients 
sent  to  him.  By  the  end  of  the  year  the  admissions  had  amounted 
to  48. 

The  building  thus  occupied  was  an  oblong,  two-story  brick 
structure,  60  feet  long  by  40  feet  wide,  which  stood  in  rear  of  the 
new  court  house.^  It  constituted  the  only  attempt  at  state  care 
that  has  ever  been  made  in  the  Province  of  Quebec. 

The  inspectors  on  their  first  visit  to  the  institution,  styled  the 
Provincial  Lunatic  Asylum,  while  commending  the  arrangements 
made  by  Dr.  Howard  as  the  best  possible  under  the  circumstances, 
condemned  the  establishment  as  altogether  unsuited  for  an  asylum, 
and  quite  inadequate  to  the  wants  of  the  province.  "  The  present 
arrangement,"  Dr.  Wolfred  Nelson  reported,  "  is  a  mere  make- 
shift, and  another  and  far  more  extensive  establishment  should  be 
provided  with  the  least  possible  delay.  There  are  still  to  be  pro- 
vided for  hundreds  of  insane  scattered  through  the  Lower  Prov- 
ince, some  in  jails,  others  in  charitable  institutions,  and  not  a  few 
with  their  families,  who  have  neither  the  means  nor  the  appliances 
for  their  proper  treatment."  ^ 

That  the  arrangement  was  indeed  of  the  most  "  make-shift " 
character  is  proved  by  the  report  of  Inspector  Ferres,  who  thus 
comments  upon  it : 

The  narrow  passage  below  is  the  dining  room  for  the  males,  two  or 
three  boards  set  upon  trestles  being  the  table,  and  the  passage  upstairs, 
equally  narrow,  is  a  day-room  and  dining  room  for  the  females.  The 
rooms  used  as  dormitories  are  filled  with  beds  on  both  sides,  separated 
about  a  foot  from  each  other  with  a  foot-path  down  the  middle,  not  three 
feet  wide.  In  the  yard  sheds  have  been,  with  a  few  boards,  improvised 
into  a  kitchen,  a  store-room  and  a  laundry.  Classification,  where  there 
is  not  room  for  the  patients  to  move  about,  so  crowded  are  they  together, 
is  of  course  entirely  out  of  the  question,  and  it  is  only  by  constant  atten- 
tion that  the  extreme  cleanliness  which  prevails  can  be  effected.  It  must, 
perhaps,  be  called  an  asylum,  because  insane  people  find  a  refuge  in  it, 
but  in  no  other  respect  is  the  name  applicable.^ 

^  The  old  court  house  was  torn  down  some  years  ago  and  the  site  con- 
verted into  the  public  square  or  garden  immediately  in  front  of  the 
Canadian  Pacific  Railway  station. 

*  Report  of  Board  of  Inspectors  of  Asylums,  Prisons,  etc.,  for  the  year 
1861,  p.  37. 

"/fetU,  p.  68. 


272  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

Dr.  Howard  labored  under  great  disadvantages,  and  one  of  the 
most  serious  difficulties  he  had  to  encounter  was  to  provide  for 
the  proper  washing  of  his  patients  with  dirty  habits.  How  this 
was  overcome  is  best  described  in  his  own  words : 

I  had  only  one  temporary  bath  erected  in  an  out-house,  and  which 
could  not  be  used  in  cold  weather ;  but  even  had  I  two  or  three  of  these 
baths  to  wash  these  patients  as  often  as  it  was  necessary  it  would  have 
been  an  endless  task.  In  fact,  I  cannot  conceive  how  it  is  possible  by  the 
slow  process  of  baths  to  maintain  cleanliness  among  the  inmates  of  a 
lunatic  asylum.  Under  this  impression,  I  have  lately  effected  a  temporary 
arrangement  which  I  have  found  most  valuable.  This  is  a  cell  which, 
under  ordinary  circumstances,  will  answer  for  the  confinement  of  an 
unruly  patient  for  a  couple  of  hours ;  but  for  the  purpose  for  which  I 
erected  it  was  a  washing  place.  It  is  three  feet  square,  the  floor  an  in- 
clined plane,  terminating  in  a  sewer  which  connects  with  a  wash-pipe. 
In  the  cell  the  patient  is  placed  naked ;  or  if  his  clothes  are  very  dirty  he 
is  allowed  to  keep  them  on ;  to  wash  him  I  then  use  the  hose  of  a  small 
fire  engine,  by  means  of  which  he  is  thoroughly  cleaned,  and  immediately 
after  taken  out  and  rubbed  by  means  of  a  coarse  towel.  The  water  used 
is  tepid.  Not  only  has  a  great  saving  in  time  and  labor  been  effected  by 
this  means,  but  I  really  believe  that  it  has  had  the  moral  consequence 
of  making  the  patient  clean  in  his  habits;  whilst  the  friction  on  the  skin 
with  the  coarse  rubbers  has  had  a  most  excellent  effect,  as  every  one  who 
has  been  accustomed  to  the  care  of  lunatics  knows  the  peculiar  and 
offensive  exudation  from  the  skin,  and  how  beneficial  constant  washing 
must  be.  Besides  which,  a  first  ablution  of  this  character  completely 
removes  the  vermin  with  which  many,  particularly  such  as  have  been 
confined  in  jails,  are  literally  covered.^ 

Dr.  Howard  in  his  first  report  also  speaks  strongly  in  favor  of 
exercise,  employment,  amusement,  good  nourishment,  and  kindness 
as  the  factors  in  treatment,  but  naively  adds : 

It  must  not  be  presumed  that  punishment  is  never  resorted  to  for  the 
control  of  the  unruly  and  disobedient.  But  when  deemed  advisable  and 
necessary,  this  consists  of  a  few  hours'  confinement  in  a  cell,  or  a  depriva- 
tion of  one  meal,  or  both  combined.  It  is  surprising  how  the  lunatic,  even, 
is  subdued  by  confinement  and  a  hungry  stomach.' 

A  year  later,  and  the  inspectors  again  registered  a  complaint 
against  the  continued  occupancy  of  this  building,  saying: 

This  institution  is  still  continued  in  the  old  building  formerly  used  as 
a  court  house,  which  is  only  60  x  40  outside — one  story  being  10  feet  high, 

^  Report  of  Board  of  Inspectors  of  Asylums,  Prisons,  etc.,  for  the  year 
1861,  p.  127. 
'  Ibid.,  p.  129. 


QUEBEC  273 

and  the  other  gained  from  the  roof,  only  9  feet.  The  dormitories,  with  an 
office  of  most  contracted  dimensions,  a  storeroom  and  lavatory,  occupy 
the  whole  building;  the  lower  floor  is  appropriated  to  males,  and  the  upper 
to  females.  There  is  no  day-room  nor  dining-hall,  but  the  former  passage 
of  the  court  house  is  made  to  do  duty  for  both.  Into  this  space  28  males 
and  29  females,  57  in  all,  with  the  necessary  attendants,  are  packed;  and 
it  is  with  unfeigned  satisfaction  that  the  inspectors  have  it  in  their  power 
to  state  that  by  the  unremitting  vigilance  of  Dr.  Howard,  the  medical 
superintendent,  and  the  active  attention  of  the  officers  and  servants,  the 
general  health  of  the  inmates  has  been  preserved  in  a  good  state  during 
last  year.  It  is  impossible  to  convey  by  words  an  adequate  idea  of  the 
miserable  condition  of  this  asylum. 

Here,  as  at  the  other  asylums,  the  want  of  farming  land  is  most  severely 
felt.  The  patients  have  no  more  enjoyment  or  freedom  out  of  doors  than 
if  they  were  convicts  in  a  jail.  They  have  access  td  the  yard  in  rear  of  the 
old  court  house,  and  so  get  into  the  open  air,  but  without  any  opportunity 
for  such  exercise  as  they  require.  Cooped  up  within  naked  board  fences 
12  or  14  feet  high,  they  see  nothing,  and  have  nothing  to  soothe  or  cheer 
them ;  there  is  no  variety  to  turn  the  currents  of  their  moody  reflections ; 
no  change  to  give  a  new  color  to  their  delusions.^ 

In  the  same  report  they  gave  a  harrowing  picture  of  the  deplor- 
able conditions  due  to  the  want  of  proper  accommodation  for  the 
lunatics  of  the  province,  by  stating : 

The  gaol  at  Montreal,  which  already  can  hardly  suffice  for  the  reception 
of  the  prisoners  of  the  city  alone,  has  been  converted  into  a  receptacle 
for  the  insane,  one  of  the  prison  wards  being  given  up,  as  a  matter  of 
absolute  necessity,  for  their  accommodation.  At  the  end  of  the  year  1862 
there  were  in  the  gaol  at  Montreal  21  insane  persons  awaiting  their  turn 
to  be  admitted  either  into  the  Beauport  Asylum  or  into  that  at  St.  Johns; 
10  of  these  insane  men  were  together  in  the  ward  just  mentioned  and  the 
other  II  (women)  were  allowed  to  mix  with  the  other  female  prisoners 
in  the  gaol,  to  the  great  detriment  of  all.* 

Year  after  year  the  inspectors  and  superintendent  protested 
against  the  continued  occupation  of  this  building,  but  year  after 
year  it  remained  in  use.  The  overcrowding,  at  the  same  time, 
instead  of  being  lessened,  increased.  To  such  an  extent  was  this 
carried  that  by  the  close  of  1864,  into  a  space  far  too  contracted 
for  50  patients,  as  originally  intended,  there  were  actually  packed 
64  human  beings.  The  horrible  condition  of  affairs  resulting  was 
strikingly  pointed  out  by  one  of  the  board.  Dr.  F.  Z.  Tasse,  in  1866. 

^Report  of  Board  of  Inspectors  of  Asylums,   Prisons,  etc.,   for   1862, 
p.  13. 
'  Ibid.,  p.  18. 


274  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

By  actual  measurement  he  showed  that  there  was  but  221  cubic 
feet  of  air-space  for  each  patient,  whereas  the  best  writers  on 
hygiene  recommended  that  not  less  than  800  to  1000  cubic  feet,  or 
even  more,  should  be  allowed.    Continuing,  he  stated : 

To  this  evil  (overcrowding)  is  added  the  utter  impossibility  of  pro- 
viding them  with  employment,  the  recreation  of  walking,  the  sight  of 
the  country,  and  that  variety  of  occupation  which  is  the  basis  of  all 
remedial  agents,  and  which  ought  to  be  procured  for  them  at  any  cost/ 

At  length,  the  spirit  of  economy  provoked  the  action  which 
common  humanity  should  have  dictated  long  before.  The  year 
1875  saw  the  closing  of  the  first,  and,  so  far,  the  only  purely 
government  institution  for  the  care  of  the  insane  in  the  Province 
of  Quebec.  State  care,  in  this  respect  at  least,  has  from  that  time 
been  a  thing  unknown.  At  St.  Johns,  as  is  certain  to  be  the  case 
in  all  small  establishments,  the  cost  of  maintenance  had  always 
been  much  higher  than  at  Beauport,  or  in  any  of  the  Ontario  insti- 
tutions, amounting  annually  to  considerably  over  $200  per  head. 
On  this  account  the  government  in  1873  accepted  an  offer  made 
by  the  Sisters  of  Charity  to  receive  the  idiots,  then  supported  at 
the  public  expense,  into  their  hospital  at  Longue  Pointe,  and  to 
maintain  them  at  the  rate  of  $100  each  per  annum.  This  led  to 
the  removal  in  that  year  of  34  of  this  class  who  were  among  the 
inmates  at  St.  Johns  Asylum.  In  1875,  when  a  like  contract  was 
made  with  the  Sisters  to  receive  the  insane,  the  remaining  patients 
were  transferred  therefrom,  and  the  institution  was  finally  closed 
July  20,  1875.  The  medical  superintendent.  Dr.  Howard,  accom- 
panied the  patients,  receiving  the  appointment  of  government 
visiting  physician  to  St.  Jean  de  Dieu  Asylum,  and  assumed  duty 
as  such  August  i,  1875. 

LONGUE  POINTE  ASYLUM. 

L'Hospice  St.  Jean  de  Dieu,  or,  as  it  is  commonly  called, 
"  Longue  Pointe  Asylum,"  from  its  being  situated  near  the  village 
of  that  name,  is  the  property  of  Les  Soeurs  de  Charite  de  la 
Providence.  It  owes  its  origin  to  a  wealthy  retired  merchant,  one 
Jean  Baptiste  Gamelin,  who,  in  1823,  had  married  a  Miss  Emelie 

^Report  of  Board  of  Inspectors  of  Asylums,  Prisons,  etc.,  for  1866, 
p.  47. 


QUEBEC  27s 

Tavernier.  The  three  children  born  of  this  union  dying  in  infancy, 
the  worthy  couple  adopted  an  idiot  child.  Monsieur  Gamelin,  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  Montreal,  October  i,  1827, 
confided  this  child  to  the  special  care  of  his  wife,  in  these  terms : 
"  Continue  de  prendre  soin  de  cet  infortune,  en  souvenir  de  moi  et 
pour  mon  amour."  *  This  request  was  piously  fulfilled  by  Madame 
Gamelin,  who,  in  addition,  consecrated  her  life,  as  well  as  the 
fortune  that  had  been  left  her,  to  the  relief  of  the  poor  and 
afiflicted,  and  became  the  foundress  of  the  community  known  as  the 
Sisters  of  Providence. 

From  the  beginning",  in  memory  of  her  husband,  Madame  Game- 
lin proposed  that  the  care  of  the  idiotic  and  the  insane  should  be 
one  of  the  charitable  works  of  the  order.  Consequently,  in 
November,  1845,  ^  little  wooden  house,  from  the  color  of  its 
exterior  called  among  the  Sisters  "The  Yellow  House  (Maison 
Jaune),"  was  appropriated  as  the  habitation  of  a  few  lunatics.  It 
was  situated  in  the  garden  of  the  first  establishment  of  the  Sisters, 
at  the  corner  of  St.  Catherine  and  St.  Hubert  streets  in  Montreal, 
and  was  placed  in  charge  of  Sister  Assumption,  nee  Brady,  who  is 
reputed  to  have  had  special  tact  in  soothing  her  patients  by  singing 
h)anns  to  them.' 

The  number  that  could  be  cared  for  in  this  modest  retreat,  the 
pioneer  institution  for  the  insane  in  the  district  of  Montreal,  was 
necessarily  very  small.  In  1850  the  Rev.  Mere  Gamelin,  with 
Sister  Ignace  and  Abbe  Truteau,  visited  several  asylums  in  the 
United  States,  their  object  being  to  examine  into  the  management 
of  these  establishments  with  a  view  to  the  extension  of  their  own 
sphere  of  usefulness.  They  returned  fully  resolved  to  pursue 
their  good  work  on  a  larger  scale. 

The  community  at  this  time  had  a  farm  near  the  village  of 
Longue  Pointe,  about  five  miles  from  Montreal,  known  as  the 
"  Mission  St.  Isidore."  This  had  been  given  to  the  Sisters  by  the 
parish  of  Longue  Pointe  under  certain  conditions,  one  of  which 

*  Notice  Biographique  de  la  Reverende  Mere  Gamelin,  Fondatrice  et 
Premiere  Superieure  de  I'lnstitut  des  Soeurs  de  Charite  de  la  Providence, 
Montreal,  1875,  p.  9. 

*  Histoire  de  THospice  St.  Jean  de  Dieu  a  la  Longue  Pointe,  par.  A. 
Bellay,  Montreal,  1892,  p.  7. 


276  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

was  that  they  should  establish  thereon  a  school  for  female  children.* 
In  1852  the  parish  still  further  assisted  the  order  by  helping  it  to 
acquire  an  additional  property  situated  in  the  village  on  the  banks 
of  the  St.  Lawrence.  To  the  buildings  on  this  ground  was  given 
the  name  "  Convent  St.  Isidore,"  and  thither  the  Sisters  removed 
their  school.  At  the  same  time,  in  order  to  carry  out  the  wishes  of 
the  lamented  foundress  of  the  order,  as  well  as  to  meet  the  urgent 
requests  made  to  them  from  all  sides,  they  fitted  up  the  buildings 
thus  vacated  on  the  St.  Isidore  farm  as  an  asylum  for  lunatics. 
To  this  institution  they  removed  the  patients  from  the  "  Maison 
Jaune,"  placing  them  in  charge  of  Sister  Praxede,  afterwards  one 
of  the  foundresses  of  the  Oregon  mission  of  the  order.  In  October, 
1852,  the  new  establishment  thus  instituted  was  consecrated  by 
Monseigneur  Bourget,  who  placed  it  under  the  protection  of  St. 
Jean  de  Dieu.  This  was  done  in  commemoration  of  a  saint,  who, 
confined  as  a  madman  by  people  incapable  of  comprehending  the 
sublimity  of  his  charity,  had  rewarded  his  persecutors  by  founding, 
at  Madrid  two  hospitals  for  the  insane  and  the  poor. 

Ignorant  of  the  care  of  lunatics,  and  without  any  of  the  ad- 
vantages for  treatment  to  be  found  in  modern  asylums,  the  Sisters 
labored  under  great  difficulties  in  their  pious  undertaking.  Up  to 
1856  the  number  of  the  insane  under  their  charge  at  one  time  was 
never  more  than  17  to  20.  In  that  year,  on  the  advice  of  Sister 
Zotique,  then  superior  of  the  mission  and  one  of  the  foundresses 
of  the  order,  the  community  decided  to  transfer  the  patients  from 
the  farm  to  the  Convent  St.  Isidore.  The  transfer  was  made 
October  30,  1856. 

The  new  lodging  of  the  lunatics  was  a  two-story  building,  partly 
stone,  partly  wood,  96  feet  long,  facing  the  St.  Lawrence,  from 
which  it  was  separated  by  a  row  of  large  trees.  A  corridor  in  the 
center  divided  the  building  into  two  wings.  In  the  south  one  were 
placed  the  patients,  each  of  whom  had  a  single  room.  The  north 
wing  was  otherwise  occupied. 

^  In  1851  this  farm  became  the  cradle  of  an  institution  well  known  in 
the  province  of  Quebec,  the  school  for  deaf-mutes;  It  was  here,  at  Longue 
Pointe,  that  Sister  Marie  de  Bonsecours,  of  saintly  memory,  began  to 
teach  her  first  pupils.  For  seven  years  she  labored  in  the  little  school  of 
the  parish,  and  paved  the  way  for  the  extensive  establishment  for  deaf 
mutes  that  now  exists  in  the  City  of  Montreal. 


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QUEBEC  277 

In  1863  the  Sisters  erected  an  additional  structure  in  the  court- 
yard of  the  convent,  on  the  edge  of  the  village  street.  It  was 
connected  with  the  main  building  by  a  covered  passageway  and 
devoted  exclusively  to  the  insane.  In  constructing  it  the  old  build- 
ings on  St.  Isidore  farm  were  pulled  down,  and  the  materials  used 
in  the  new  edifice.  With  this  demolition  disappeared  the  original 
St.  Jean  de  Dieu  Asylum,  and  there  now  remain  to  mark  the  spot 
where  it  stood  only  some  clumps  of  trees  and  bushes,  which  indi- 
cate the  situation  of  the  old  garden  cultivated  by  the  Sisters.  The 
convent  buildings,  including  those  used  for  the  insane,  are  still  in 
existence,  and  in  almost  the  identical  condition  in  which  they  were 
at  the  period  of  which  we  speak. 

Notwithstanding  the  additions  made,  it  was  yet  difficult  to 
receive  more  than  20  to  25  patients  in  the  convent  buildings,  so  that 
it  became  a  matter  of  great  concern  to  the  Sisters  how  they  should 
meet  the  ever-increasing  demands  made  on  their  charity. 

The  parish  of  St.  Frangois  d'Assises  de  la  Longue  Pointe,  which 
is  the  full  title  of  this  noteworthy  locality,  had  for  priest  at  this 
time  M.  Jean  Baptiste  Drapeau.  He  was  a  man  of  sound  judgment, 
and  one  who  took  a  deep  interest  in  all  the  charitable  works  of  the 
community,  but  especially  in  those  relating  to  the  care  of  the  insane. 
To  him  occurred  the  idea  of  a  hospital  for  these  poor  creatures  on 
a  larger  scale — one  combining  all  the  conditions  demanded  by 
modern  science  for  their  proper  treatment.  With  the  object  of 
carrying  out  his  idea,  he  advised  the  acquisition  of  a  large  demesne 
situated  near  the  convent,  which  he  thought  would  make  an  ad- 
mirable site  for  the  institution  of  which  he  dreamed.  It  belonged 
to  a  well-known  family  named  Vinet,  and  comprised  about  166 
arpents  of  land.  The  resources  of  the  Sisters,  however,  were  but 
limited,  and  it  was  not  until  1868  that  they  were  able  to  accomplish 
this,  the  first  instalment  of  the  purchase  money  having  been  con- 
tributed by  Mile.  Symes,  afterwards  Marquise  de  Bassano.  The 
land  thus  acquired  was  not  made  use  of  until  a  few  years  later, 
when,  with  the  sanction  of  the  Legislature,  the  order  entered  upon 
the  work  of  caring  for  the  insane  on  a  greatly  enlarged  scale. 

The  fact  that  Beauport  Asylum  was  much  overcrowded,  and 
that  the  temporary  institution  created  at  St.  Johns  was  not  only  in 
like  condition  but  badly  adapted  to  asylum  purposes,  had  been 
strongly  urged  upon  the  government.     In  consequence,  the  then 


278  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE  OF   THE  INSANE 

Premier  of  the  province,  the  Hon.  Gedeon  Ouimet,  authorized  by 
an  Order  in  Q)uncil,  dated  September  27,  1873,  entered  into  an 
agreement  with  the  Sisters  of  Providence,  represented  by  Sister 
Therese  de  Jesus,  treasurer  of  the  community,  whereby  the  latter 
engaged  for  a  term  of  five  years  to  receive  and  care  for  idiots 
of  both  sexes.  The  contract  was  signed  October  4,  and  by  Novem- 
ber 7  the  government  had  sent  to  the  Sisters  at  Longue  Pointe  34 
patients  from  the  asylum  at  St.  Johns,  38  from  Beauport  Asylum 
and  5  from  outside,  making  a  total  of  '^'j. 

St.  Isidore  Convent  was  quite  inadequate  for  the  accommodation 
of  this  number  of  patients,  and  the  Sisters  accordingly  had  to  find 
room  elsewhere,  pending  the  erection  of  a  new  asylum  which  they 
had  now  decided  to  construct  on  the  Vinet  property.  The  addi- 
tional room  was  gained  by  the  rental  of  the  "  Hochelaga  "  or 
"  Hussar  Barracks,"  then  empty.  These  were  stone  buildings 
which  had  formerly  been  occupied  by  the  troops  stationed  in  Mon- 
treal. They  stood  near  the  foot  of  St.  Mary  Street,  and  comprised 
the  old  military  hospital,  the  officers'  quarters  and  the  military 
prison.^  Their  new  home  was  taken  possession  of  by  the  Sisters  on 
November  7,  1873,  and  on  November  30  they  celebrated  their  first 
mass  therein,  an  altar  having  been  erected  in  one  of  the  hallways. 
They  were  devoted  entirely  to  male  patients,  the  convent  buildings 
being  reserved  for  females.  The  medical  attendance  at  both  estab- 
lishments was  rendered  by  Dr.  F.  X.  Perreault,  who  began  his 
duties  October  13. 

As  112  was  the  greatest  number  of  patients  that  could  be  pro- 
vided for  in  the  Hochelaga  buildings,  it  soon  became  evident  that 
the  erection  of  the  new  asylum  must  be  hastened  as  much  as  pos- 
sible. The  first  question  to  be  decided  was,  what  plan  of  building 
should  be  adopted.  To  settle  this.  Sister  Therese,  with  Sister 
Godefroy,  the  superior-general  of  the  order,  and  Mr.  B.  Lamon- 
tagne,  their  chosen  architect,  visited  a  number  of  asylums  in 
Ontario  and  the  United  States,  finally  selecting  that  of  Mount 
Hope,  Baltimore,  Md.,  as  the  general  model  on  which  to  construct 
their  new  establishment. 

*  A  part  of  these  buildings  has  been  torn  down,  but  a  remnant  is  still 
standing  not  far  from  Notre  Dame  Street,  and  is  used  as  a  coal-shed  by 
the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway. 


QUEBEC  279 

Work  was  begun  in  April,  1874,  and  such  was  the  vigor  with 
which  Sister  Therese  pressed  it  on,  that  by  July  20,  1875,  they  were 
able  to  begin  the  transfer  of  the  patients  from  the  old  barracks. 
Their  evacuation  was  completed  by  August  14,  and  shortly  after 
the  Convent  St.  Isidore  was  also  emptied  of  its  inmates. 

The  new  St.  Jean  de  Dieu  Asylum  consisted  of  a  main  building, 
169  feet  long  by  60  feet  wide,  connected  by  wings  90  feet  long  by 
40  feet  wide,  to  two  other  buildings,  each  125  feet  long  by  45  feet 
wide.  The  connecting  wings  were  five  stories  high,  including  the 
basement  and  attic ;  the  three  other  buildings,  six  stories  in  height, 
including  basement  and  attic.  All  the  buildings  were  of  brick,  with 
cut  stone  trimmings  and  foundations. 

In  July,  1875,  the  Sisters  entered  into  a  new  contract  with  the 
government,  represented  by  Premier  de  Boucherville,  by  which, 
for  the  space  of  20  years,  they  agreed  to  receive  and  care  for  all 
insane,  as  well  as  idiotic  patients,  at  the  rate  of  $100  a  year  for 
each  patient  sent  them.  The  government  on  its  part  covenanted 
that  the  number  of  patients  placed  in  charge  of  the  Sisters  should 
not  be  less  than  300,  including  those  already  under  their  care.  As 
a  result  of  this  agreement  the  temporary  asylum  at  St.  Johns  was 
closed,  and  the  inmates  transferred  to  the  custody  of  the  Sisters, 
with  Dr.  Howard,  formerly  superintendent  of  the  St.  Johns  insti- 
tution, as  government  visiting  physician. 

Under  the  new  arrangement,  so  rapid  was  the  increase  in  popu- 
lation that,  at  the  close  of  the  year  1875,  it  had  reached  408.  This 
rate  of  growth  continued,  and  in  1884  ^i^d  1885  it  became  impera- 
tive to  extend  the  already  large  establishment  by  the  addition  of 
two  other  wings,  similar  to  those  already  in  existence,  making 
the  total  frontage  of  the  structure  630  feet. 

About  1880,  as  already  referred  to  in  speaking  of  Beauport 
Asylum,  difficulties  between  the  government  and  the  Sisters  began 
to  spring  up.  At  one  time  Dr.  Howard,  the  government  physician, 
represented  to  Sister  Therese  that  in  his  opinion  several  of  the 
patients  had  recovered,  and  recommended  their  discharge.  This 
recommendation  was  met  by  refusal.  Appeal  was  then  made  to  the 
Provincial  Secretary,  who  supported  Dr.  Howard.  The  discharge 
of  the  patients  was,  however,  still  refused,  and  only  by  the  exer- 
cise of  the  civil  authority  was  obedience  enforced.  Immediately 
following  this  came  the  publication  of  Dr.  Tuke's  report  on  the 


280  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

asylums  of  Canada,  in  which  those  of  Quebec  were  shown  to  con- 
trast most  unfavorably  with  those  of  the  sister  province  of  Ontario. 
Severe  as  had  been  Dr.  Tuke's  arraignment  of  Beauport,  it  was 
infinitely  mild  in  comparison  with  his  merciless  criticism  of  the 
Longue  Pointe  institution.  While  thanking  Sister  Therese  and 
others  of  the  community  for  their  kindness  throughout  his  visit, 
and  doing  full  justice  to  the  comfort  and  cleanliness  of  some  parts 
of  the  asylum,  he  gives  the  following  heartrending  description  of 
the  attic  and  basement  stories : 

It  is  impossible  to  convey  an  adequate  idea  of  the  condition  of  the  patients 
confined  in  the  gallery  in  the  roof  and  in  the  basement  of  this  asylum. 

They  constitute  the  refractory  class — acute  and  chronic  maniacs.  They 
and  the  accommodation  which  has  hitherto  been  provided  for  them  must 
be  seen  to  be  fully  realized.  To  anyone  accustomed  to  a  well-ordered 
institution  for  the  insane,  the  spectacle  is  one  of  the  most  painful  char- 
acter. In  the  course  of  seven-and-thirty  years  I  have  visited  a  large 
number  of  asylums  in  Europe,  but  I  have  rarely,  if  ever,  seen  anjrthing 
more  depressing  than  the  condition  of  the  patients  in  those  portions  of 
the  asylum  at  Longue  Pointe  to  which  I  now  refer.  I  saw  in  the  highest 
story,  that  in  the  roof,  a  gloomy  corridor,  in  which  at  least  40  refractory 
men  were  crowded  together;  some  were  walking  about,  but  most  were 
sitting  on  benches  against  the  wall  or  in  restraint-chairs  fixed  to  the 
floor,  the  occupants  being  secured  to  them  by  straps.  Of  those  seated 
on  the  benches  or  pacing  the  gallery,  a  considerable  number  were  restrained 
by  handcuffs  attached  to  a  belt,  some  of  the  cuffs  being  the  ordinary  iron 
ones  used  for  prisoners,  the  others  being  leather.  Restraint,  I  should  say 
in  passing,  was  not  confined  to  the  so-called  refractory  wards ;  for  in- 
stance, in  a  lower  and  quieter  ward,  a  man  was  tightly  secured  by  a 
strait-waistcoat.  Dr.  Howard  had  him  released,  and  he  did  not  evince 
any  indication  of  violence.  It  was  said  he  would  tear  his  clothes — a 
serious  matter  in  an  asylum  conducted  on  the  contract  system.  The  walls 
and  floor  of  the  corridor  in  the  roof  were  absolutely  bare.  But  if  the 
condition  of  the  corridor  and  the  patients  presented  a  melancholy  sight, 
what  can  be  said  of  the  adjoining  cells  in  which  they  sleep  and  are  secluded 
by  day?  These  are  situated  between  the  corridor  and  a  narrow  passage 
lighted  by  windows  in  the  roof.  Over  each  door  is  an  opening  the  same 
width  as  the  top  of  the  door,  and  three  to  four  inches  in  height,  which 
can  be  closed  or  not  as  the  attendant  wishes.  This  aperture  is,  when  open, 
the  only  means  of  lighting  the  cell.  The  door  is  secured  by  a  bolt  above 
and  below,  and  by  a  padlock  in  the  middle.  In  the  door  itself  is  a 
guichet  or  wicket,  secured,  when  closed,  by  a  button.  When  opened,  a 
patient  is  just  able  to  protrude  the  head.  There  is,  as  I  have  intimated, 
no  window  in  the  room,  so  that  when  the  aperture  over  the  door  is  closed 
it  is  absolutely  dark.  For  ventilation,  there  is  an  opening  in  the  wall 
opposite  the  door,  which  communicates  above  with  the  cupola;  but  what- 


QUEBEC  281 

ever  the  communication  may  be  with  the  outer  air,  the  ventilation  must  be 
very  imperfect.  Indeed,  I  understood  that  the  ventilation  only  comes  into 
operation  when  the  heating  apparatus  is  in  action.  What  the  condition 
of  these  cells  must  be  in  hot  weather,  and  after  being  occupied  all  night, 
and  in  some  instances,  day  and  night,  may  be  easily  conceived.  When  the 
bolts  of  the  door  of  the  first  cell  which  I  saw  opened  were  drawn  back 
and  the  padlock  removed,  a  man  was  seen  crouching  on  a  straw  mattress 
rolled  up  in  the  corner  of  the  room,  a  loose  cloth  at  his  feet,  and  he  stark 
naked,  rigorously  restrained  by  handcuffs  and  belt.  On  being  spoken  to 
he  rose  up,  dazzled  with  the  light;  he  looked  pale  and  thin.  The  reason 
assigned  for  his  seclusion  and  his  manacles  was  the  usual  one,  namely, 
"  he  would  tear  his  clothes  if  free."  The  door  being  closed  upon  this 
unfortunate  man,  we  heard  sounds  proceeding  from  neighboring  cells, 
and  saw  some  of  their  occupants.  One,  who  was  deaf  and  dumb,  as  well 
as  insane,  and  who  is  designated  I'hontme  inconnu,  was  similarly  manacled. 
In  his  cell  there  was  nothing  whatever  for  him  to  lie  or  sit  upon  but  the 
bare  floor.  He  was  clothed.  Some  of  the  cells  in  this  gallery  were 
supplied  with  bedsteads,  there  being  just  room  to  stand  between  the  wall 
and  the  bed.  When  there  is  no  bedstead  a  loose  palliasse  is  laid  on  the 
floor,  which  may  be  quite  proper.  In  reply  to  my  enquiry,  the  Lady 
Superior  informed  me  that  it  was  frequently  necessary  to  strap  patients 
down  in  their  beds  at  night. 

Passing  from  this  gallery,  which  I  can  only  regard  as  a  "  chamber  of 
horrors,"  we  proceeded  to  the  corresponding  portion  of  the  building  on 
the  female  side.  This  was  to  me  even  more  painful,  for  when,  after 
seeing  the  women  who  were  crowded  together  in  the  gallery,  on  benches 
and  in  fixed  chairs,  many  also  being  restrained  by  various  mechanical 
appliances,  we  went  into  the  narrow  passage  between  the  pens  and  the 
outer  wall,  the  frantic  yells  of  the  patients  and  the  banging  against  the 
doors  constituted  a  veritable  pandemonium.  The  effect  was  heightened 
when  the  guichets  in  the  doors  were  unbuttoned,  and  the  heads  of  the 
inmates  were  protruded  in  a  row,  like  so  many  beasts,  as  far  as  they  could 
reach.  Into  this  human  menagerie,  what  ray  of  hope  can  ever  enter? 
In  one  of  the  wards  of  the  asylum  I  observed  on  the  walls  a  card,  on  which 
were  inscribed  words  to  the  effect  that  in  Divine  Providence  alone  were 
men  to  place  their  hopes.  The  words  seemed  to  me  like  a  cruel  irony. 
I  should,  indeed,  regard  the  Angel  of  Death  as  the  most  merciful  visitant 
these  wretched  beings  could  possibly  welcome.  The  bolts  and  padlocks 
were  removed  in  a  few  instances,  and  some  of  the  women  were  seen  to 
be  confined  by  leathern  muffs,  solitary  confinement  not  being  sufficient. 
When  such  a  condition  of  things  as  that  now  described  is  witnessed,  one 
cannot  help  appreciating,  more  than  one  has  ever  done  before,  the  blessed 
reform  in  the  treatment  of  the  insane  which  was  commenced  in  England 
and  France  in  1792,  and  the  subsequent  labors  of  Hill,  Charlesworth,  and 
ConoUy.  But  it  is  amazing  to  reflect  that  although  the  superiority  of  the 
humane  mode  of  treating  the  insane,  inaugurated  nearly  a  century  ago, 
has  been  again  and  again  demonstrated,  and  has  been   widely   adopted 


282  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF    THE    INSANE 

throughout  the  civilized  world,  a  colony  of  England,  so  remarkable  for 
its  progress  and  intelligence  as  Canada,  can  present  such  a  spectacle  as 
that  I  have  so  inadequately  described  as  existing,  in  the  year  of  grace  1884, 
in  the  Montreal  Asylum. 

Before  leaving  the  asylum  I  visited  the  basement,  and  found  some  70 
men  and  as  many  women  in  dark,  low  rooms.  Their  condition  was  very 
similar  to  that  already  described  as  existing  in  the  topmost  ward.  A  good 
many  were  restrained  in  one  way  or  another,  for  what  reason  it  was  diffi- 
cult to  understand.  Many  were  weak-minded,  as  well  as  supposed  to  be 
excitable.  The  patients  sat  on  benches  by  the  wall,  the  rooms  being  bare 
and  dismal.  A  large  number  of  beds  were  crowded  together  in  a  part 
of  the  basement  contiguous  to  the  room  in  which  the  patients  were  con- 
gregated, while  there  were  single  cells  or  pens  in  which  patients  were 
secluded,  to  whom  I  spoke  through  the  door.  The  herding  together  of  these 
patients  is  pitiful  to  behold,  and  the  condition  of  this  nether  region  must 
in  the  night  be  bad  in  the  extreme.  I  need  not  describe  the  separate  rooms, 
as  they  are  similar  to  those  in  the  roof.  The  amoimt  of  restraint  and 
seclusion  resorted  to  is,  of  course,  large.  Yet  I  was  informed  that  it  was 
very  much  less  than  formerly.^ 

The  result  of  this  exposure,  and  the  strenuous  protests  of  the 
Montreal  Medico-Chirurgical  Society  against  the  continuance  of 
such  a  state  of  affairs,  was  the  passage  by  the  government  of  the 
act  of  1885,  ^nd  the  appointment  of  Dr.  Howard  as  first  medical 
superintendent,  with  greatly  increased  powers.  Dr.  Perreault, 
who,  from  October  13,  1873,  had  been  in  the  employ  of  the  Sisters, 
was  at  the  same  time  made  assistant  to  Dr.  Howard,  and  as  such 
severed  his  connection  with  the  Community.  Associated  with  Dr. 
Perreault  was  Dr.  E.  E.  Duquet. 

The  passage  of  this  act  served  still  further  to  embitter  Sister 
Therese,  who  at  once  appointed  another  medical  staff  of  her  own, 
consisting  of  Drs.  Durocher  and  Prieur.  Later,  this  staff  was  in- 
creased by  the  addition  of  Dr.  Bourque,  while  Dr.  Durocher  was 
replaced  by  Dr.  Chagnon. 

The  constant  efforts  made  to  hamper  the  government  officials  in 
the  discharge  of  their  duties  resulted  in  the  constitution  of  the 
Royal  Commission  of  1887.  The  report  of  this  body  with  regard 
to  Longue  Pointe  Asylum,  while  giving  full  credit  to  the  cleanli- 
ness of  the  institution,  and  the  good  food  and  clothing  supplied 
the  patients,  showed  clearly  there  were  many  points  connected 

^  The  Insane  in  the  United  States  and  Canada,  by  D.  Hack  Tuke,  M.  D., 
London,  1885,  p.  193. 


QUEBEC  283 

with  the  management  that  required  radical  reorganization.  There 
was  no  system  of  classification,  the  asylum  was  overcrowded,  and 
the  attendants  were  too  few ;  there  was  no  scientific  organization  to 
utilize  employment  as  a  means  of  cure,  and  many  of  the  patients 
never  got  outside  the  building  from  year's  end  to  year's  end; 
restraint,  though  largely  given  up  since  Dr.  Tuke's  visit,  was  still 
much  too  frequent,  and  was  not  under  control  of  the  physicians, 
nor  was  there  any  register  kept  of  it.  But  the  most  blameworthy 
state  of  affairs  set  forth  was,  that  while  under  the  law  of  1885  the 
government  medical  officers  were  constituted  a  part  of  the  adminis- 
trative staff  of  the  asylum,  the  Sisters  refused  to  receive  them  as 
aught  but  visiting  physicians,  and  formally  declined  to  allow  them 
to  carry  out  the  duties  imposed  upon  them  by  that  law,  under  the 
plea  that  it  was  a  breach  of  their  contract.  They  went  even  further 
and  denied  them  the  privileges  they  had  exercised  as  visiting  physi- 
cians prior  to  1885,  refused  to  give  them  any  information,  and. 
forbade  the  keepers  to  answer  any  questions  they  might  put  to 
them.  The  government  medical  officers  had  absolutely  no  author- 
ity beyond  the  supervision  of  the  admissions  and  discharges — 
were  not  even  allowed  to  have  keys  by  which  they  could  enter  the 
wards  alone,  but  always  on  their  visits  had  to  be  accompanied  by 
some  of  the  Sisters.* 

On  the  most  eminent  legal  advice,  the  commission,  in  spite  of  the. 
evil  state  of  affairs  which  they  recognized  as  prevailing,  could 
report  only  that  the  act  of  1885  did  conflict  with  the  rights  of  the 
Sisters  as  defined  by  their  contract  with  the  government.  In  con- 
sequence, they  could  but  suggest  the  abandonment  of  the  govern- 
ment's claims  until  the  expiration  of  the  contract,  when  the  act 'as 
a  whole  might  be  made  a  part  of  any  new  agreement. 

Dr.  Howard,  having  died  October  12,  1887,  was  succeeded  by; 
Dr.  E.  E.  Duquet,  whose  appointment  was  dated  December  24 
of  that  year. 

Like  his  predecessor.  Dr.  Duquet  found  all  his  efforts  to  improve 
the  management  of  the  institution  hampered  by  the  terms  of  the 
existing  contract.  He  could,  therefore,  only  resign  himself  to 
await  patiently  its  expiration  ere  attempting  to  enforce  the  reforms 
in  treatment  which  he  clearly  saw  were  so  much  needed. 

^  Report  of  Royal  Commission  on  Lunatic  Asylums  of  the  Province  of 
Quebec,  1888,  p.  39. 


284  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

Oh  May  6,  1890,  the  Longue  Pointe  establishment  was  the  scene 
of  one  of  the  saddest  calamities  recorded  in  asylum  history.  About 
noon  of  that  day  a  fire  broke  out  on  the  third  story,  in  one  of  the 
rooms  used  for  the  storage  of  linen.  In  less  than  five  hours  the 
whole  immense  structure,  the  shelter  of  over  1300  unfortunate 
lunatics,  was  swept  completely  out  of  existence.  No  fewer  than 
75  patients  and  5  Sisters  perished  in  the  flames.* 

The  terrible  catastrophe  served  to  arouse  Sister  Therese  from 
a  sick  bed  to,  if  possible,  more  than  her  wonted  vigor.  In  a  few 
days  the  female  patients  were  billeted  on  the  different  charitable 
institutions  belonging  to  the  Sisters  at  Longue  Pointe  and  in 
Montreal,  while  the  men  were  temporarily  housed  in  the  exhibition 
buildings  belonging  to  the  latter  place.  The  erection  of  a  tem- 
porary establishment  was  at  once  commenced,  the  system  of  semi- 
detached pavilions  being  adopted.  The  pavilions  were  14  in  num- 
ber, 7  being  placed  on  each  side  of  the  main  avenue  leading  to  the 
ruins  of  the  old  asylum.  They  were  two  stories  in  height  and 
built  of  wood.  The  units  composing  each  group  of  seven  were 
connected  together  by  a  central  covered  corridor,  10  feet  wide  by 
600  feet  long,  through  which  ran  a  tramway  for  the  conveyance  of 
food  to  the  different  sections.  The  pavilions  were  200  feet  in 
length  by  40  in  breadth,  and  each  was  divided,  as  it  were,  into  two 
houses  by  the  central  corridor.  By  the  17th  of  August,  little  more 
than  three  months  after  the  destruction  of  the  asylum,  these 
structures  were  sufficiently  advanced  to  receive  the  female  patients 
scattered  amongst  the  various  charitable  institutions.  On  Sep- 
tember 8  the  men  were  transferred  from  the  exhibition  buildings. 

November  22,  1891,  the  community  suffered  another  great  loss 
in  the  death  of  Sister  Therese,  who,  though  far  from  faultless, 
had  proved  herself  a  tower  of  strength  to  the  order.  She  was 
succeeded  by  Sister  Madeleine  du  Sacre  Coeur,  whom  she  had 
long  designated  as  the  one  on  whom  her  mantle  should  fall. 

In  December,  1894,  Dr.  Duquet,  the  medical  superintendent, 
was  taken  ill  with  pneumonia,  and,  worn  out  with  the  many  diffi- 
culties he  had  been  forced  to  encounter,  was  unable  to  withstand 
the  attack  which  ended  his  useful  life  on  the  19th  of  that  month. 
He  was  succeeded  by  his  assistant.  Dr.  George  Villeneuve,  as 
acting  superintendent,  which  appointment  was  made  permanent 

^  The  most  searching  enquiry  failed  to  reveal  the  origin  of  this  holocaust. 


A^ 


-.  v: 


■-*! 


QUEBEC  285 

April  4,  1896.  Under  his  able  administration  many  important 
advances  have  been  made. 

In  the  same  year  (1894)  a  new  stone  building,  three  stories 
high  and  150  feet  long,  with  accommodation  for  300  patients,  was 
built  in  the  midst  of  the  ruins  of  the  old  structure,  and,  with  the 
temporary  pavilions,  formed  the  St.  Jean  de  Dieu  Asylum.  This 
building  (Sainte  Therese)  now  forms  the  department  for  private 
patients. 

The  contract  of  1875,  the  cause  of  so  much  ill-feeling,  having 
expired,  a  new  one  was  made  on  March  13,  1897,  between  the 
government  and  the  Sisters.  In  it  were  incorporated  all  the  pro- 
visions of  the  act  of  1885  which  had  conflicted  with  the  rights  of 
the  Sisters  as  defined  in  the  old  agreement.  The  government 
physicians  were  thus  given  the  supervision  of  the  medical  and 
moral  treatment  of  the  patients,  as  well  as  of  their  admission  and 
discharge. 

Under  these  new  conditions,  the  state  of  affairs  at  St.  Jean  de 
Dieu  Asylum  was  much  bettered.  Restraint  was  still  used,  but  to 
a  very  limited  degree,  and  occupation  and  amusement  were  recog- 
nized as  valuable  factors  in  treatment. 

To  this  contract,  which  was  for  a  period  of  25  years  at  the  rate 
of  $100  per  head  per  annum,  was  appended  a  condition  that  the 
Sisters  should  undertake  to  replace  the  wooden  pavilions  by  a 
hospital  proper  to  be  built  on  plans  approved  by  the  government. 

The  Sisters  had  not  the  necessary  means  for  fulfilling  this  obliga- 
tion at  their  disposal,  and,  accordingly,  borrowed  a  million  dollars 
on  the  government's  guarantee. 

Both  for  the  purpose  of  contributing  towards  the  gradual  reduc- 
tion of  the  amount  of  interest  payable  on  the  said  loan  and  of 
enabling  them  to  commence  extinguishing  a  portion  of  the  capital 
of  their  debt  by  means  of  a  sinking  fund  the  government  granted : 

(a)  An  additional  sum  of  $14  per  annum  for  each  patient  pro- 
vided for  in  the  contract  in  the  schedule  of  the  act,  for  eight  years 
from  the  first  of  July  1898. 

(b)  A  sum  of  $12  per  annum  for  each  of  such  patients  during 
the  eight  years  following  the  eight  years  above  mentioned. 

(c)  A  sum  of  $10  per  annum  for  each  of  such  patients  for  the 
whole  of  the  unexpired  term  of  their  contract  of  25  years,  count- 
ing from  the  end  of  the  sixteen  years  above  mentioned. 


286  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE  OF   THE    INSANE 

In  accordance  with  their  agreement,  the  nuns,  in  1897,  began 
the  erection  of  an  entirely  new  establishment,  located  on  rising 
ground  about  a  mile  in  rear  of  the  site  of  the  old  asylum,  and 
occupying  nearly  the  center  of  a  farm  of  800  acres.  In  construc- 
tion the  pavilion  plan  was  adopted,  the  building,  as  a  whole,  form- 
ing three  sides  of  a  rectangle.  Stone  was  the  material  employed, 
the  entire  structure  being  made  as  nearly  fireproof  as  possible. 
The  heating,  ventilating  and  equipment  were  of  the  most 
modern,  the  opinion  of  well-known  experts  having  been  taken  upon 
all  points.  The  estimated  cost  was  $1,000,000,  and  the  proposed 
capacity  2000.  L'Hopital  St.  Jean  de  Dieu  was  the  name  decided 
upon  for  the  new  edifice. 

The  hospital,  which  took  over  five  years  to  build  and  cost  con- 
siderably over  a  million  dollars,  was  first  occupied  in  1901. 

Since  the  erection  of  the  building,  the  most  important  improve- 
ment has  been  the  installation  of  an  apparatus  for  filtering  all  the 
water  used  in  the  institution. 

The  St.  Lawrence  water,  which  supplied  the  hospital,  had  be- 
come greatly  contaminated,  and,  after  consulting  experts,  the 
Sisters  decided  to  put  in  a  filtration  plant  of  the  most  modern  type. 
As  a  result,  typhoid  fever  completely  disappeared,  and  gastro- 
intestinal diseases  were  reduced  to  a  minimum. 

By  this  system  two  Worthington  pumps,  of  a  capacity  of  250 
gallons  per  minute  each,  force  the  river  water  into  a  coagulation 
tank,  from  which  two  other  pumps,  each  of  a  capacity  of  200  gal- 
lons per  minute,  drive  the  water  through  a  six-inch  pipe,  6000  feet 
long,  into  a  concrete  reservoir.  A  Gould  pump,  of  a  capacity  of 
1300  gallons  per  hour,  situated  near  the  hospital,  carries  the  water 
from  the  reservoir  into  a  water-tower  capable  of  containing 
100,000  gallons. 

In  191 1  operating  rooms  were  opened.  These  were  provided 
with  modern  aseptic  apparatus,  operating  tables,  sterilizers,  etc., 
and  all  necessary  operations  are  performed  therein.  In  addition 
a  clinical  laboratory  was  instituted,  in  which  the  examination  of 
the  various  secretions  could  be  made  and  recorded. 

In  October,  1912,  a  nursing  school  was  founded.  This  has  been 
regularly  attended  by  the  nuns,  35  of  whom  successfully  passed 
the  examinations  in  all  subjects  in  July,  1915. 


23 


QUEBEC  287 

During  this  same  year,  the  Sisters  finding  the  call  upon  their 
resources  in  excess  of  their  revenue,  made  an  appeal  to  the  Legis- 
lature, which  agreed  to  increase  the  amount  paid  for  maintenance 
from  $112  to  $120  per  annum.  This  sum,  however,  is  still  much 
below  what  the  Sisterhood  is  justly  entitled  to,  considering  the 
greatly  increased  cost  of  living  in  recent  years,  and  leads  the  nuns 
to  defer  improvements  recommended  by  the  superintendent,  the 
necessity  of  which  they  admit,  until  they  are  in  a  better  financial 
position. 

Notwithstanding  the  paucity  of  funds,  in  1914  the  community 
added  to  the  women's  division  a  pavilion  especially  intended  for 
restless  patients,  for  whom  the  rest  treatment  in  bed,  chiefly  recom- 
mended by  Magnan  in  France,  is  used.  A  similar  pavilion  was 
provided  for  the  men's  division  in  191 5. 

The  institution,  Dr.  Villeneuve  states,  is  overcrowded,  the  popu- 
lation at  the  close  of  191 5  being  no  less  than  2475.  Restraint, 
he  says,  is  used  only  in  surgical  cases,  and,  very  occasionally, 
when  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  save  a  patient  from  grievous 
bodily  harm. 

To  supervise  and  treat  this  large  establishment,  of  which  Rev. 
Sister  Amarine  is  the  present  head,  there  are  two  staffs  of  physi- 
cians, one  appointed  and  paid  by  the  government,  the  other  by  the 
Sisters.  The  former,  in  addition  to  the  medical  superintendent. 
Dr.  George  Villeneuve,  professor  of  psychology  and  neurology 
at  Laval  University,  comprises  Dr.  F.  E.  Devlin,  assistant  superin- 
tendent, and  Drs.  T.  B.  de  Grosbois,  C.  Laviolette,  O.  Noel  and 
A.  Allaire;  the  latter  consists  of  Drs.  A.  Tetreault  and  G.  L. 
DeBellefeuille,  associate  professors  of  psychiatry  at  Laval  Uni- 
versity, and  Dr.  J.  C.  Larose,  demonstrator  of  psychology  at  the 
same  institution. 

There  is  also  a  consulting  staff  made  up  of  Dr.  G.  Wilfred 
Derome,  professor  of  medical  jurisprudence  at  Laval  University 
and  pathologist  to  the  Notre  Dame  Hospital ;  Dr.  G.  Archambault, 
associate  professor  of  dermatology  at  Laval  University  and  der- 
matologist to  the  Notre  Dame  Hospital;  Dr.  J.  E.  Panneton, 
professor  of  radiology  and  electricity  at  Laval  University  and 
radiologist  to  the  Notre  Dame  Hospital ;  Dr.  E.  Duf  resne,  assistant 
professor  of  surgery  at  Laval  University  and  surgeon  to  the  Notre 
Dame  Hospital;  Dr.  A.  Prevost,  assistant  professor  of  neurology 


288  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

at  Laval  University  and  neurologist  to  the  Notre  Dame  Hospital ; 
and  Dr.  E.  Foucher,  assistant  professor  of  ophthalmology  and 
laryngology  at  Laval  University. 

The  other  two  proprietary  asylums  in  the  Province  of  Quebec 
are  institutions  devoted  to  the  care  of  idiots. 

ST.  JULIEN  ASYLUM. 

L'Hospice  St.  Julien,  located  at  St.  Ferdinand  d'Halifax,  in 
Megantic  County,  is  picturesquely  situated  on  the  shore  of  Lake 
William,  about  15  miles  from  St.  Calixte  de  Somerset  station  on 
the  Grand  Trunk  Railway.  It  belongs  to  the  Sisters  of  Charity 
of  Quebec,  who  are  also  its  directors,  and  was  originally  founded 
in  September,  1872,  as  a  refuge  for  old  women.  In  1873  arrange- 
ments were  made  for  the  reception  of  female  idiots  as  well.  The 
establishment  now  comprises  a  hospital  for  the  reception  of  aged 
and  infirm  women  as  well  as  those  suffering  from  incidental  mala- 
dies, and  an  idiot  asylum.  The  latter  is  a  one-storied  wooden 
building  with  mansard  roof,  150  feet  long  by  45  feet  wide,  divided 
into  four  wards. 

The  first  contract  entered  into  by  the  government  and  the  man- 
agement of  this  asylum  was  in  June,  1873,  and  extended  over  a 
period  of  ten  years,  the  annual  rate  of  maintenance  being  fixed  at 
$80  per  head.  In  1893,  by  a  fresh  contract  made  for  ten  years, 
the  rate  was  increased  to  $100.  Rev.  Sister  Ste.  Julienne  is  the 
superioress  of  the  institution,  and  Dr.  A.  Noel  government  phy- 
sician, having  been  appointed  such  in  1888.  Prior  to  that  date  he 
held  the  position  of  visiting  physician.  The  present  capacity  of 
St.  Julien  Asylum  is  about  100,  and  the  population  about  no. 

Doubtless  considerable  change  has  been  made  in  the  institu- 
tion, it  having  in  all  likelihood  advanced  pari  passu  with  the  other 
Quebec  asylums,  which  have  made  much  progress  during  the  past 
eighteen  years.  As  to  the  existing  condition  of  affairs,  however, 
nothing  can  be  said,  as  it  has  been  impossible  to  gain  any  informa- 
tion from  the  superioress  or  physician,  to  both  of  whom  application 
was  made.  The  foregoing  account  is  taken  from  a  sketch  written 
by  Dr.  T.  J.  W.  Burgess,  and  embodied  in  a  paper  presented  by  him, 
as  his  presidential  address,  to  the  Royal  Society  of  Canada,  1898.^ 

^  Trans.  Roy.  Soc.  Canada,  Second  Series,  Vol.  IV,  1898. 


QUEBEC  289 

The  inspectors  of  asylums  in  their  report  for  1913  speak  of  the 
institution  in  high  terms  of  praise,  and  give  Sister  St.  Josephat 
as  the  superioress  and  L.  O.  Noel,  M.  D.,  as  the  physician  in 
charge.    At  the  close  of  1912  the  population  (idiots)  was  161. 

ST.  ANNE'S  HOSPITAL. 
St.  Paul's  Bay,  Que. 

Necessity,  the  prolific  mother  of  invention,  has  myriad  children 
to  her  credit.  In  fact,  on  analysis,  much  of  what  is  best  in  our 
present  day  social  fabric  can  with  little  difficulty  be  traced  to  this 
alma  mater,  and  it  was  largely  owing  to  the  great  need  therefor 
that  the  Hospice  Ste.  Anne.  Baie  St.  Paul,  was  brought  into  being. 

Some  30  miles  east  of  the  City  of  Quebec,  on  the  banks  of  the 
St.  Lawrence  River,  lies  the  village  of  Baie  St.  Paul,  and  25  years 
ago  the  means  of  transportation  with  its  natural  urban  center  were 
primitive,  and  the  journey  fraught  with  much  discomfort.  In 
summer,  steamers  made  but  infrequent  calls  at  its  landing,  and  in 
winter  an  ill-kept  road  through  the  Laurentian  Mountains  afforded 
the  only  means  of  approach  to  Quebec,  this  necessitating  a  two 
days'  trip  for  wayfarers  to  that  city.  Arduous  as  it  was  for  the 
sound  in  body  to  make  what  seemed  a  veritable  pilgrimage,  the 
effort  for  those  ailing  in  mind  was  felt  by  their  relatives  to  be  too 
great,  and  Beauport  Asylum,  owing  to  these  obstacles,  might  well 
nigh  have  been  in  a  foreign  country.  In  fact,  at  this  time  not  a 
few  cases — albeit  defectives  and  milder  types  of  psychosis — seem 
to  have  been  given  what  care  their  families  could  give  them  at 
home,  while  those  less  fortunate  in  having  near  kin  roamed  the 
highway,  subsisting  on  the  variable  meed  of  public  charity. 

In  1889  there  came  to  the  parish  to  act  as  head  of  its  affairs 
spiritual,  the  Rev.  Ambroise  Fafard,  who  saw  in  the  ill  plight  of 
these  unfortunates  an  ample  opportunity  to  apply  Christianity  by 
works  as  well  as  by  precept ;  happily  a  modest  private  legacy 
enabled  him  to  purchase  a  large  residence  in  the  village,  and  there, 
under  the  direction  and  care  of  an  elderly  spinster,  Mademoiselle 
Boivin,  he  assembled  the  senile  peripatetics  and  idiots  of  his  own 
parish  as  well  as  those  of  several  bordering  parishes.  The  idea 
was  doubtless  that  of  custodial  care  solely  at  first,  and  the  up-keep 
of  both  manageress  and  her  charges  appears  to  have  been  secured 


290  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

entirely  from  private  sources,  the  folk  of  the  countryside,  under  the 
stimulating  example  of  the  Reverend  Father,  contributing  to  their 
maintenance. 

Lacking  not  in  foresight  and  with  the  prophetic  vision  that 
faith  inspires — seldom  wrongly — Father  Fafard  sought  to  have  the 
fruit  of  his  labors  incorporated,  and  in  1889  took  steps  to  this 
end.  The  following  year  the  institution  received  legislative  sanc- 
tion under  the  name  of  "  Ste.  Anne's  Hospital  at  Bale  St.  Paul,"  * 
and  a  year  later,  owing  chiefly  to  the  interest  of  Mr.  Jos.  Morin, 
member  of  the  Provincial  Parliament,  a  contract  was  made  with 
the  Quebec  Government  by  which  its  proprietors  were  to  care  for 
and  treat  50  idiots. 

Under  the  new  conditions,  the  charity  being  now  safely  launched 
and  giving  promise  of  expansion,  it  was  evident  that  something 
more  elaborate  as  to  administration  would  soon  become  peremp- 
tory, and  singularly  enough  the  nucleus  of  the  governing  body 
was  even  then  in  being,  in  Worcester,  Mass.  Here,  11  French 
Canadian  nuns  had  formed  together  a  sisterhood  called  "  The 
Little  Franciscan  Sisters  of  Mary,"  and  were  devoting  their  lives 
to  the  care  of  the  aged,  the  infirm,  and  children  in  poor  circum- 
stances, having  combined  their  resources  to  procure  a  small  house 
where  they  gave  asylum  to  these  unfortunates.  It  was  about  this 
time  that  Rev.  Father  Fafard  chanced  to  come  in  contact  with 
their  order  while  on  a  visit  to  Worcester,  and  at  once  he  secured 
their  attention  and  interest  in  the  home  which  he  had  been  instru- 
mental in  establishing  in  the  country  of  their  birth.  The  result 
was  that  they  agreed  to  take  over  the  direction  of  the  institution  at 
Bale  St.  Paul.  They  were  doubtless  the  more  ready  to  undertake 
the  new  work  and  repatriate  themselves,  as  local  difficulties  had 
confronted  them  in  Worcester,  owing,  it  is  regrettable  to  record, 
to  their  nationality,  and  perhaps  also  to  their  language,  difficulties 
which  bade  fair  to  deprive  them  even  of  their  property  holdings 
had  not  their  cause  been  ably  and  successfully  championed  by  the 
Rev.  Fafard.  It  is  noteworthy  that  this  small  house  has  been 
to-day  transformed  into  a  fine  hospital  building,  with  a  valuation 
of  over  $100,000,  in  Worcester,  still  under  the  direction  of  the 

^  Statutes  of  Quebec,  53  Vict.,  1890,  Cap.  XC.  An  act  to  incorporate  the 
Reverend  Ambroise  Fafard,  priest  (and  others),  for  charitable  purposes, 
under  the  name  of  L'Hospice  Sainte  Anne  de  la  Baie  Saint  Paul. 


QUEBEC  291 

order,  and  still  engaged  in  the  self-denying  work,  the  seeds  of 
which  were  sown  some  three  decades  ago. 

The  community  in  its  new  home  was  granted  a  charter,  procur- 
ing incorporation  in  1898,^  the  mother  house  of  the  order  being 
established  at  Baie  St,  Paul,  and  its  first  superioress  was  the 
devoted  Sister  Mother  Anne  of  Jesus.  During  the  years  from 
1890  to  1907,  under  the  Sisters'  supervision,  a  new  building  was 
erected  and  a  new  contract  with  the  government  made,  by  which 
a  minimum  of  100  patients  were  to  be  cared  f or.^  By  the  act '  of 
1898  the  corporation  was  permitted  to  give  instruction,  elementary 
and  superior,  to  found  various  scholastic,  industrial  and  corrective 
institutions,  etc.,  and  to  open  "  refuges  for  aged  or  infirm  persons 
of  both  sexes,  hospitals  for  the  sick,  dispensaries,  asylums  for 
idiots  and  the  insane  of  both  sexes." 

The  location  of  the  home  could  scarce  have  been  better  chosen ; 
set  in  the  fertile  valley  of  Baie  St.  Paul,  amid  far-flung  meadow 
country,  the  immediate  outlook  gives  on  the  St.  Lawrence  River, 
while  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  in  the  opposite  direction,  the 
gentle  tree-clad  slopes  of  the  Laurentian  Mountains  bring  to  the 
vista  their  tribute  of  beauty — the  peaceful  security  of  the  "  eternal 
hills." 

The  general  arrangement  of  the  buildings  forming  the  institu- 
tion is  that  the  monastery  proper  holds  a  central  position,  while 
three  other  structures,  two  occupied  by  patients  and  the  third  by 
the  staff,  are  built  on  this  central  portion  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
encircle  it.  The  foundations  are  of  stone,  while  the  superstruc- 
ture is  of  brick ;  each  block  is  three  stories  in  height,  and  addi- 
tional light  is  secured  by  an  ample  skylight  in  each  section.  The 
rooms  are  large  and  well  ventilated,  and  are  constructed  so  as  to 
receive  the  maximum  amount  of  sunlight.  To  each  floor  is  allotted 
one  large  ward  for  the  seriously  ill,  as  well  as  an  isolation  ward  for 

^  Statutes  of  Quebec,  61  Vict.,  1898,  Cap.  XC.  An  act  to  incorporate  the 
Institut  des  Petites  Soeurs  Franciscaines  de  Marie. 

^  Statutes  of  Quebec,  5  Edward  VII,  1905,  Chap.  4.  An  act  respecting 
the  contract  entered  into  between  the  government  and  I'lnstitut  des 
Petites  Soeurs  Franciscaines  de  Marie,  respecting  the  maintenance  of 
idiots  in  L'Hospice  Ste.  Anne  de  la  Baie  St.  Paul  in  the  County  of 
Charlevoix. 

'  Vide  footnote  No.  2  on  previous  page. 

24 


292  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

cases  of  contagious  disease,  should  such  arise.  Due  thought  has 
been  given  to  the  furnishing  of  commodious  verandas,  and  these 
are  placed  about  the  buildings,  giving  the  benefit  of  fresh  air  to  the 
feeble,  or,  when  ill  weather  prevents  the  customary  open  air  exer- 
cise on  the  grounds  for  those  physically  fit.  Electric  light  is  used 
throughout  the  institution  and  the  hot-water  system  is  the  heating 
method  employed. 

The  hospital  supplies  not  only  its  own  electricity  for  lighting  or 
other  purposes,  having  installed  the  necessary  apparatus  in  a 
nearby  mountain  stream  which  furnishes  the  water  power,  but  it 
is  able  to  furnish  electric  light  to  the  village  of  Bale  St.  Paul  as 
well.  Its  water  supply  is  procured  from  the  municipal  aqueduct 
at  small  cost,  this  being  brought  from  a  pure  mountain  stream 
in  the  neighboring  Laurentians. 

The  patients  of  both  sexes  are  classified  as  follows:  first, 
epileptics ;  second,  idiots  in  whom  improvement  is  possible ;  and 
third,  idiots  who  are  so  low  in  the  scale  that  they  present  no  chance 
of  betterment.  When  first  admitted  the  patients  are  kept  under 
close  observation  in  special  quarters  until  their  mental  status  is 
definitely  determined  by  the  physician  in  charge,  when  they  are 
assigned  to  the  ward  which  they  will  occupy  during  the  remainder 
of  their  sojourn  in  the  hospital. 

An  excellent  farm  of  250  acres  is  owned  by  the  community,  and 
graded  occupation  for  many  of  the  patients  is  found  here,  the 
modern  idea  of  light  employment  in  the  open  for  the  defective 
class  being  thus  embodied.  The  farm  is  also  rendered  a  con- 
siderable source  of  revenue  through  the  use  of  its  products,  though 
this  feature,  as  in  all  good  hospitals,  is  considered  secondary  to  its 
value  as  a  therapeutic  aid.  A  selected  herd  of  milch  cows  fur- 
nishes an  ample  supply  of  milk,  and  the  raising  of  poultry  is  done 
on  an  extensive  scale. 

As  an  example  of  efficient  and  economic  administration  under 
this  religious  order,  the  hospital  does  not  suffer  by  comparison 
with  solely  state  institutions  of  similar  character  elsewhere ;  in 
fact,  the  reverse  is  the  case.  Under  the  rule  of  the  Sisters  the 
value  of  the  whole  plant  and  property  has  increased  from  $45,000, 
which  it  was  15  years  ago,  to  $200,000  at  the  present  day;  the 
whole  work  has  expanded  greatly,  and  stands  as  a  monument  to 
the  singleness  of  purpose,  cohesion  of  effort,  and  devotion  of  this 
religious  sisterhood. 


QUEBEC  293 

Sister  Mother  Superioress  Dominique  is  the  present  head  of 
the  hospital's  affairs,  while  the  government  position  of  medical 
superintendent  is  held  by  Dr.  E.  Tremblay,  the  post  having  been 
created  in  1905,  owing  to  the  increased  number  of  patients  cared 
for.  At  the  end  of  1913  there  were  in  the  institution  no  male 
patients  and  61  female  patients,  making  a  total  population  of  171. 

PROTESTANT  HOSPITAL  FOR  THE  INSANE. 

The  Protestant  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  or,  as  it  is  more  com- 
monly called,  Verdun  Hospital,  undoubtedly  owes  its  inception  to 
Mr.  Alfred  ("Fred")  Perry,  a  well-known  citizen  of  Montreal. 
From  a  period  antedating  Confederation,  Mr.  Perry  had  taken  a 
deep  interest  in  the  subject  of  the  care  of  the  insane,  and,  in  the 
foundation  of  Longue  Pointe  Asylum,  had  given  valuable  assis- 
tance to  Sister  Therese.  While  granting  the  Sisters  full  credit 
for  the  care  bestowed  upon  their  helpless  charges,  he  yet  observed 
that  it  was  merely  custodial  care,  with  little  or  no  effort  to  bring 
about  recovery.  This  was  but  the  natural  outcome  of  the  "  farm- 
ing-out "  system,  in  which  the  interests  of  proprietors  and  patients 
are  at  direct  variance,  a  fact  Mr.  Perry  was  not  slow  to  grasp. 
A  man  of  strong  will,  with  great  energy  and  tenacity  of  purpose, 
he  resolved  that  at  least  the  Protestant  community  should  be  freed 
from  a  system  that  was  a  standing  menace  to  proper  treatment, 
and,  about  1875,  began  to  devote  himself  to  the  task  of  seeing 
whether  the  existing  state  of  affairs  could  not  be  remedied. 

After  many  interviews  with  various  members  of  the  government, 
Mr.  Perry  found  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  disturb  the  arrange- 
ments that  had  been  made  with  the  Sisters,  and  thereupon  con- 
ceived the  bold  idea  of  founding  a  separate  institution  for  his 
co-religionists.  Having  ascertained  that  the  government  had  no 
objection  whatever  to  the  Protestants  of  the  province  establishing 
an  asylum  for  the  care  of  their  own  insane,  provided  it  was  done 
at  their  own  cost,  Mr.  Perry  straightway  proceeded  to  call  a 
public  meeting,  at  which  the  whole  subject  was  discussed. 

At  this  meeting,  held  at  the  House  of  Refuge  on  Dorchester 
Street,  in  1880,  Mr.  Perry,  in  conjunction  with  Sir  A.  T.  Gait, 
Hon.  James  Ferrier,  Thomas  Cramp,  Esq.,  and  the  Rev.  Gavin 
Lang,  a  well-known  Presbyterian  divine,  was  appointed  to  take 
steps  in  the  direction  indicated.    Several  informal  meetings  were 


294  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

held  by  these  gentlemen,  with  Sir  A.  T.  Gait  as  chairman,  and  it 
was  found  that  they  were  all,  with  the  exception  of  Mr.  Perry,  in 
favor  of  the  erection  of  an  asylum  which  should  be  open  to 
Roman  Catholics  as  well  as  Protestants,  but  conducted  on  different 
principles  from  the  proprietary  establishments.  Mr.  Perry,  how- 
ever, held  out  staunchly  for  his  own  views,  and  was,  in  conse- 
quence, soon  left  to  battle  alone,  the  committee,  as  such,  ceasing 
to  exist.  Innumerable  difficulties  met  him  in  the  prosecution  of 
his  scheme,  but,  with  unflagging  zeal,  he  continued  his  efforts,  and 
on  June  30,  1881,  secured,  with  the  assistance  of  Mr.  David 
Morrice,  the  passage  of  a  bill  entitled  "  An  Act  to  Incorporate  the 
Protestant  Hospital  for  the  Insane."  ^ 

The  Right  Reverend  William  B.  Bond,  LL.  D.,  Lord  Bishop  of 
the  Diocese  of  Montreal;  John  Jenkins,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. ;  Gavin 
Lang ;  George  Douglas,  LL.  D. ;  George  H.  Wells ;  Henry  Wilkes, 
D.  D. ;  A.  H.  Munro ;  W.  S.  Barnes ;  William  A.  Hall,  M.  D. ;  Sir 
Hugh  Allan ;  Andrew  Allan  ;  George  Macrae,  Q.  C. ;  Charles  Alex- 
ander ;  Henry  Lyman ;  M.  H.  Gault,  M.  P. ;  Thomas  White,  M.  P. ; 
Peter  Redpath ;  Adam  Darling ;  Hugh  McLennan ;  James  Coris- 
tine ;  S.  H.  May ;  T.  James  Claxton ;  James  Johnston ;  Alexander 
McGibbon ;  Alfred  Perry ;  Leo  H.  Davidson,  and  such  other  per- 
sons, donors  or  subscribers,  as  might  be  or  become  associated  with 
them  and  their  successors,  by  this  act  were  constituted  a  body  cor- 
porate to  found  a  Protestant  institution  for  the  care,  maintenance 
and  cure  of  the  insane  of  the  several  Protestant  denominations  in 
the  Province  of  Quebec. 

As  a  safeguard  against  the  possible  introduction  of  the  ''  farm- 
ing-out "  system,  the  act  provided  that  all  moneys  raised  by  the 
corporation,  from  whatever  source,  should  be  expended  upon  the 
institution  and  its  inmates ;  that  the  general  management  of  affairs 
should  be  invested  in  a  board  of  governors,  being  Protestants  and 
residents  within  the  Province  of  Quebec,  said  board  to  be  com- 
posed of  all  life-governors,^  24  elective  governors,  and  all  properly 
constituted  representatives  of  churches  and  national  societies  ;  that 
the  immediate  conduct  of  the  establishment  should  be  vested  in  a 
board  of  management,  elected  from  the  board  of  governors  and 

*  Statutes  of  Quebec,  44-45  Vict.,  Chap.  50. 

*At  date  of  writing,  the  number  of  life-governors  is  about  180. 


QUEBEC  295 

not  less  than  12  in  number,  who  should  act  for  three  years,  one- 
third  retiring  annually;  that  a  meeting  of  the  subscribers  to  the 
institution  should  be  called  by  the  parties  incorporated  within  six 
months  after  the  passing  of  the  act  for  the  purpose  of  organizing 
the  corporation;  and  that  the  corporation  should,  every  year, 
within  the  first  15  days  of  the  session  of  the  Legislature,  make  a  full 
return  to  the  Lieutenant-Governor  and  to  both  houses,  showing  the 
state  of  its  affairs  and  of  its  receipts  and  expenditures. 

The  corporation  was  also  given  the  power  to  frame  by-laws  for 
the  management  of  the  affairs  of  the  hospital  and  the  guidance  of 
its  employees.  Two  hundred  dollars  was  fixed  as  the  sum  con- 
stituting a  life-governor,  and  $10  as  that  constituting  an  elective 
governor.  The  payment  of  a  subscription  of  $20  gave  any  Protes- 
tant church  within  the  province,  or  any  Protestant  national  society, 
the  right  of  appointing  a  governor  for  the  year  for  which  this 
amount  was  subscribed. 

In  accordance  with  the  provision  in  the  act,  a  meeting  of  those 
interested  was  held  in  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
rooms,  at  the  corner  of  Victoria  Square  and  Craig  Street,  on 
December  20,  1881,  Mr.  David  Morrice  presiding.  A  vote  having 
been  taken  by  ballot,  the  following  24  gentlemen  were  elected  to 
the  board  of  governors :  Mr.  D.  Morrice ;  Mr.  M.  H.  Gault,  M.  P. ; 
Rev.  Gavin  Lang ;  Dr.  F.  W.  Campbell ;  Dr.  J.  C.  Cameron ;  Mr. 
Charles  Alexander ;  Mr.  Henry  Lyman ;  Rev.  Dr.  Sullivan ;  Dr. 
William  Osier;  Mr.  Alfred  Perry;  Mr.  L.  H.  Davidson;  Rev. 
William  Hall ;  Mr.  T.  J.  Claxton ;  Mr.  Thomas  White,  M.  P. ;  Rev. 
A.  B.  Mackay ;  His  Lordship  Bishop  Bond ;  Rev.  G.  H.  Wells ; 
Mr.  Warden  King ;  Canon  Baldwin ;  Mr.  George  Macrae,  Q.  C. ; 
Mr.  Peter  Redpath ;  Mr.  Adam  Darling ;  Mr.  Hugh  McLennan, 
and  Mr.  A.  A.  Ayer.^ 

The  general  meeting  having  adjourned,  the  above  board  of 
governors  assembled  and  appointed  a  committee  composed  of  the 
Rev.  William  Hall,  Dr.  F.  W.  Campbell,  Mr.  T.  White,  M.  P., 
Mr.  David  Morrice,  Mr.  Henry  Lyman  and  Mr.  L.  H.  Davidson 
to  make  a  report  on  the  matter  of  by-laws  within  30  days,  and  to 
consider  the  selection  of  a  building  site. 

Mainly  owing  to  the  general  depression  of  business,  public 
interest  languished,  and  no  action  was  taken  by  this  committee, 

^  Daily  Witness,  Montreal,  December  21,  1881. 


296  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

nor  was  anything  done  toward  the  carrying  out  of  the  act  up  to 
1884.  Mr.  Perry,  however,  did  not  relax  his  exertions,  finding  an 
able  coadjutor  in  the  Rev.  William  Hall,  and  on  April  12  of  that 
year,  at  the  instance  of  the  Associated  Board  of  Charities  of 
Montreal,  a  public  meeting  was  called  and  a  delegation  named  to 
act  in  conjunction  with  the  board  of  governors  of  the  Protestant 
Hospital  for  the  Insane,  appointed  in  December,  1881. 

As  a  result  of  this  meeting,  efforts  to  secure  subscriptions  were 
set  on  foot  and  a  committee  was  appointed,  with  Mr.  Charles 
Alexander  as  chairman,  to  choose  a  situation  for  the  proposed 
institution. 

An  advertisement,  reading  as  follows,  was  inserted  in  the  daily 
newspapers : 

Wanted  to  purchase,  a  farm  of  from  100  to  200  acres  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Montreal,  with  an  ample  supply  of  water,  easy  of  approach  by  rail  or 
main  road. 

This  secured  offers  of  a  large  number  of  locations.* 
The  services  of  two  distinguished  alienists,  Dr.  Joseph  Work- 
man, formerly  medical  superintendent  of  the  Toronto  Asylum, 
and  Dr.  R.  M.  Bucke,  medical  superintendent  of  the  London 
Asylum,  were  obtained  to  inspect  the  most  promising  of  the  places 
offered.  These  experts  reported  having  examined  19  of  the  pro- 
posed sites,  including  properties  on  the  Lower  Lachine  Road,  and 
the  island  below  the  city ;  at  Back  River,  Lachute,  St.  Andrews, 
and  St.  Lambert.  Of  these  they  considered  one  known  as  the 
"  Molson  Farm,"  consisting  of  75  acres,  bordering  on  the  river 
to  the  east  of  the  city,  the  most  suitable,  and  commented  thereon 
as  follows: 

Upon  the  whole  (weighing  well  all  the  pros  and  cons),  we  are  of  opinion 
that  this  site  possesses  less  disadvantages  and  greater  advantages  than  any 
other  submitted  to  us,  and  while  not  being  by  any  means  perfect  as  regards 
picturesqueness,  elevation  of  land,  and  quality  of  road  by  which  it  must 
be  approached  from  the  city,  that  it  is  still  a  fair  site  for  the  proposed 
purpose,  and  probably  as  good  a  one  as  can  be  obtained.^ 

The  choice  of  this  property  was  opposed  by  Mr.  Perry  and  other 
members  of  the  board  of  governors  on  the  grounds  that,  being 

^Report  (unpublished)  of  Site  Committee,  June  27,  1884. 
'Report    (unpublished)    of   Drs.  Workman  and   Bucke  on  location   of 
site  for  Protestant  Hospital  for  Insane,  August  7,  1884. 


QUEBEC  297 

below  the  city,  the  water  supply  would  be  liable  to  contamination 
by  the  sewage  therefrom,  and,  as  situated  in  a  purely  French 
district,  it  would  be  less  acceptable  to  the  English-speaking 
Protestant  community.  For  these  reasons  the  location  was  aban- 
doned, and  for  a  time  the  selection  of  a  site  was  again  dropped. 

During  the  same  year  (1884)  the  celebrated  English  ahenist, 
Dr.  D.  Hack  Tuke,  after  a  visit  to  and  inspection  of  many  of  the 
American  and  Canadian  asylums  made  during  that  year,  published, 
in  the  Journal  of  Mental  Science,  a  severe  denunciation  of  the 
wretched  condition  in  which  he  had  found  many  of  the  inmates 
of  the  Quebec  asylums,  especially  those  in  Longue  Pointe.  This 
article,  which  was  subsequently  published  in  book  form,  under  the 
title  "  The  Insane  in  the  United  States  and  Canada,"  aroused  such 
a  furore  that  it  led  the  Medico-Chirurgical  Society  of  Montreal  to 
pass  a  series  of  resolutions  condemnatory  of  the  management  of 
these  establishments  and  of  the  "  farming-out "  or  "  contract " 
system,  and  calling  for  an  investigation  of  the  entire  method  for 
the  care  of  the  insane  poor  in  the  province,  by  competent  persons. 

The  result  was,  that  soon  after  the  passage  of  these  resolutions, 
in  November,  1884,  a  deputation,  consisting  of  Messrs.  George 
Hague,  F.  Wolferstan  Thomas,  and  Charles  Alexander,  was  ap- 
pointed to  wait  upon  the  government  for  the  purpose  of  urging 
a  reform  in  the  management  of  the  insane  of  the  province,  and 
ascertaining  what  it  was  willing  to  do  in  the  matter  of  the  Protes- 
tants, about  200  of  whom,  it  was  estimated,  were  confined  in  the 
two  proprietary  establishments.  At  this  interview  the  members 
of  the  government  stated  that  they  were  willing  to  do  all  in  their 
power  to  facilitate  the  transfer  of  Protestants  from  Longue  Pointe 
Asylum  to  the  proposed  hospital,  and  agreed  to  lend  the  corpora- 
tion $25,000,  at  6  per  cent  interest,  toward  the  erection  of  a 
building,  this  sum  to  be  repaid  in  ten  equal  annual  instalments, 
the  first  of  which  was  to  become  due  five  years  from  the  date  of 
the  loan.* 

The  sentiments  of  the  government  having  been  disclosed  by 
Mr.  Perry  at  a  meeting  of  the  governors,  held  at  the  Gazette  office 
on  April  7,  1885,  Mr.  Charles  Alexander  in  the  chair,  it  was 
resolved : 

^Annual  report  (unpublished)  of  the  governors  of  the  Protestant  Hos- 
pital for  Insane  for  the  year  1886. 


298  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF    THE    INSANE 

That  the  following  gentlemen  be  appointed  provisional  directors  of  the 
institution,  and  are  hereby  authorized  to  solicit  subscriptions  for  such 
sums  of  money  as  may  be  required  to  purchase  land,  and  for  the  erection 
and  furnishing  of  the  necessary  buildings  for  establishing  the  contem- 
plated hospital,  viz. :  Right  Reverend  Bishop  Bond,  Rev.  George  H.  Wells, 
Rev.  Dr.  Stevenson,  Rev.  J.  Edgar  Hill,  Rev.  J.  E.  Norton,  Charles 
Alexander,  M.  H.  Gault,  M.  P.,  Richard  White,  Dr.  F.  W.  Campbell,  Dr. 
John  Wanless,  Adam  Darling,  L.  H.  Davidson,  Alderman  J.  C.  Wilson, 
Alderman  W.  D.  Stroud,  Alderman  Richard  Holland,  F.  Wolferstan 
Thomas,  J.  C.  McLaren,  Henry  Lyman,  A.  F.  Gault,  William  Drysdale, 
Alfred  Perry,  George  Hague,  and  Rev.  W.  S.  Barnes.^ 

It  was  further  resolved  that  Bishop  Bond,  Charles  Alexander, 
J.  C.  Wilson,  Henry  Lyman,  W.  D.  Stroud,  Alfred  Perry,  Richard 
White,  Adam  Darling,  Richard  Holland,  and  Rev.  W.  S.  Barnes 
should  constitute  a  committee  to  select  a  site  and  enter  into 
arrangements  with  the  government  for  a  loan  not  to  exceed 
$30,000.  Three  members  of  this  committee  were  to  form  a 
quorum,  and  power  was  given  to  elect  a  secretary,  obtain  a  suitable 
office,  and  enter  into  correspondence  with  kindred  institutions  in 
order  to  obtain  information  as  to  the  establishing  and  proper 
working  of  the  hospital.  At  the  same  time,  Mr.  F.  Wolferstan 
Thomas  was  appointed  treasurer,  and  Mr.  L.  H.  Davidson,  legal 
adviser. 

At  the  next  meeting  of  the  board  of  directors,  held  at  the  resi- 
dence of  Bishop  Bond,  on  June  6,  the  first  president  of  the 
corporation  was  elected  in  the  person  of  His  Lordship  the  Bishop. 
Mr.  Charles  Alexander  was  selected  as  vice-president,  and  Mr. 
Edward  HoUis  was  appointed  secretary.  Notice  was  given  also 
that  an  office  had  been  rented  at  242  St.  James  Street  (between 
McGill  and  Dollard  streets)  at  $50  a  year,  and  that  a  table  and 
other  furniture  with  some  stationery  had  been  procured. 

A  letter  from  Mr.  H.  J.  Lyall  was  then  read.  It  ofifered  a  build- 
ing three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  Sorel,  known  by  the  name  of 
Lincoln  College,  with  37  acres  of  land  attached,  as  a  location  for 
the  hospital,  at  a  cost  of  $33,000.  This  edifice,  a  four-story  stone 
structure,  had  been  erected  in  1875  for  a  body  of  secular  priests, 
who  had  formed  themselves  into  a  corporation  under  the  title 
"  Le  College  du  Sacre  Coeur  de  Sorel."  Opened  by  them  in  1876, 
it  had  been  closed  again  in  1878,  and  was  then  held  by  Mr.  Lyall, 

^  Minutes  of  meeting  held  April  7,  1885. 


QUEBEC  299 

who  had  bought  it  with  the  idea  of  founding  a  school  therein.* 
The  site  committee  was  instructed  to  inspect  the  establishment  with 
a  view  to  ascertaining  its  suitability  for  the  purpose  required. 

The  report  presented  by  this  committee  was  that,  at  an  estimated 
cost  of  $55,000,  it  could  be  purchased  and  arranged  for  the  recep- 
tion of  250  patients.'  The  distance  of  the  property  from  the  city 
and  its  inaccessibility  in  winter  were  urged  against  its  purchase, 
but  despite  these  manifest  drawbacks,  steps  were  being  taken  to 
complete  the  bargain  when  Mr.  Lyall  informed  the  directors  that 
he  had  been  advised  to  continue  his  school,  though  he  was  still 
open  to  an  offer.  The  consequence  was  that  all  idea  of  its  purchase 
was  abandoned. 

The  next  site  considered  was  one  known  as  the  "  Wanless 
Farm,"  which  consisted  of  200  acres,  situated  in  the  Parish  of 
Pointe  aux  Trembles,  about  six  miles  east  of  the  city.  The  dis- 
tance of  this  property  was  also  held  to  be  too  great,  especially  as 
it  could  not  be  reached  by  rail,  and  negotiations  for  its  purchase 
likewise  fell  through. 

A  number  of  other  sites  were  examined  by  the  committee,  which 
finally  decided  to  report  in  favor  of  one  called  the  "  Hadley 
Farm,"  owned  by  Mr.  J.  B.  Caverhill,  consisting  of  no  acres,  on 
the  Lower  Lachine  Road,  the  price  of  which  was  $18,000.  On  the 
presentation  of  their  report  it  was  resolved  by  the  board,  at  a 
meeting  held  February  20,  1886,  to  submit  a  memorial  to  the 
government  in  order  to  ascertain  how  far  it  would  assist  in  the 
project.  In  this  memorial  it  was  set  forth  that,  inasmuch  as  the 
Legislative  Assembly  had  agreed  to  make  the  corporation  a  loan 
of  $25,000  toward  the  creation  of  a  hospital,  and  that  a  site  had 
now  been  determined  upon,  it  would  greatly  facilitate  the  collec- 
tion of  further  funds  were  the  governors  in  a  position  to  announce 
that  an  arrangement  had  been  entered  into  with  the  government 
whereby  the  care  of  the  Protestant  insane  would  be  entrusted  to 
them  as  soon  as  they  were  prepared  to  receive  them.  As  a  basis 
for  a  contract  to  be  entered  into,  the  corporation  therefore  sub- 
mitted the  following:     i.  That  the  government  should  pay  for 

*  This  building,  vacant  since  1888,  was,  in  1897,  purchased  by  Les  Freres 
de  la  Charite,  who  reopened  it  as  a  commercial  college. 

*  Report  (unpublished)  of  Committee  on  Inspection  of  Lincoln  College, 
Sorel,  June  12,  1885. 

25 


30O  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

public  patients  at  the  rate  of  $135  each  per  annum.  2.  That  as 
soon  as  the  hospital  was  completed  the  government  should  cause 
all  the  Protestant  insane  then  confined  in  any  asylum  in  the 
province  to  be  transferred  to  the  new  establishment,  and  that 
thereafter  all  persons  other  than  those  of  the  Roman  Catholic  re- 
ligion becoming  insane  should  be  sent  there.  That  if  there  were 
anything  in  the  current  contracts  to  prevent  the  withdrawal  of 
Protestant  patients  from  the  existing  establishments  unless  their 
places  were  filled  by  others,  the  government  should  from  time  to 
time,  as  committals  of  Roman  Catholics  were  made,  transfer  a 
Protestant  or  Protestants  to  the  corporation's  hospital,  until  all  of 
such  faith  so  confined  should  have  been  transferred.  3.  That  if 
in  any  year  the  cost  of  running  the  institution,  plus  the  interest  on 
any  loans  and  10  per  cent  reserved  as  a  sinking  fund,  did  not 
amount  to  the  average  sum  of  $135  per  patient,  then,  such  sum 
only  as  the  cost  and  expenses  amounted  to  should  be  paid  by  the 
government.  4.  That  the  corporation  on  its  part  should  under- 
take to  receive  the  patients  sent  to  its  hospital,  and  to  provide  all 
suitable  accommodation,  care  and  attendance  necessary,  and  other- 
wise to  comply  with  the  provisions  of  law  applicable  to  them. 

On  March  24  the  following  reply  from  the  Provincial  Secretary 
was  laid  before  the  board: 

Quebec,  17th  March,  1886. 

Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  receipt  of  yours  of  the  20th 
uhimo,  transmitting  the  memorial  of  the  directors  of  the  Protestant 
Hospital  for  the  Insane,  and  have  to  inform  you  that  I  have  submitted  the 
same  for  the  consideration  of  my  colleagues.  So  long  as  the  contract 
system  for  the  care  of  our  insane  and  idiots  prevails  in  the  province  we 
see  no  objection  to  informing  you,  if  it  will  facilitate  the  operations  of 
your  Board  of  Directors,  that  the  government,  whenever  it  be  established 
by  the  report  of  one  of  the  inspectors  of  asylums  that  proper  buildings 
have  been  erected,  with  all  the  necessary  appliances  for  the  reception  of  the 
insane,  will  be  prepared  to  enter  into  a  contract  with  your  corporation 
upon  the  following,  or,  a  somewhat  similar,  basis : 

That  such  institution  shall  be  subject  at  all  times,  and  in  all  its  parts, 
to  the  most  thorough  and  rigid  inspection  by  the  government  inspector, 
and  also  to  existing  laws,  rules,  and  regulations,  as  well  as  to  those  which 
may  hereafter,  from  time  to  time,  be  adopted,  with  reference  to  insane 
asylums. 

That  as  to  the  price  to  be  paid,  while  in  one  institution,  that  of  Beau- 
port,  the  government  is  paying  under  the  existing  contract  $132  per  year, 
which  is  thought  by  some  to  be  too  high,  and  in  the  other,  $100  per  year  for 


QUEBEC  301 

each  patient,  which  is  thought  by  others  to  be  too  low ;  possibly  a  medium 
price,  say  $116,  would  be  considered  a  fair  and  reasonable  price  for  each 
insane  person  admitted  into  your  institution,  and  $80  per  year  for  each 
idiot,  as  is  paid  at  St.  Ferdinand  d'Halifax.  Your  act  of  incorporation 
and  your  memorial  show  that  your  efforts  are  directed  from  charitable 
motives,  and  not  with  a  view  to  realizing  a  profit. 

The  government  cannot  undertake  the  obligation  of  transferring  the 
Protestant  insane  who  are  now  at  Beauport  or  Longue  Pointe  to  your 
institution.  Up  to  the  present  the  relatives  and  friends  of  patients  have 
selected  themselves  the  asylum  to  which  they  wish  them  to  be  sent,  and 
we  think  that  it  would  be  better  to  allow  them  still  to  have  that  option. 

Allow  me  to  express  the  hope  that  the  above  will  meet  the  views  and 
assist  the  efforts  of  your  corporation.^ 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  Sir, 
Your  obedient  servant, 

(Signed)     W.  Blanchet, 
Secretary. 
Edward  HoUis,  Esq.,  Secretary, 

Protestant  Hospt.  for  Insane,  Montreal. 

After  a  lengthy  discussion,  it  was  decided  that  the  communica- 
tion read  did  not  meet  the  expectations  of  the  directors,  as  it  had 
been  distinctly  understood  that  all  Protestant  patients  confined 
in  the  Longue  Pointe  Asylum,  if  not  Beauport,  were  to  be  trans- 
ferred to  the  contemplated  institution  when  prepared  to  receive 
them.  The  price  to  be  paid  for  each  patient  was  also  understood 
to  be  $130.  It  was,  therefore,  resolved  that  a  deputation,  com- 
posed of  the  President,  His  Lordship  Bishop  Bond,  and  Messrs. 
G.  Hague,  F.  Wolferstan  Thomas,  Charles  Alexander,  Richard 
White,  L.  H.  Davidson,  W.  D.  Stroud  and  Alfred  Perry,  should 
wait  upon  the  government  at  Quebec,  on  April  i,  to  express  the 
views  of  the  meeting. 

At  a  subsequent  assembly  of  the  directors,  held  April  9,  the 
deputation  presented  a  report  to  the  following  effect: 

That  they  had  an  interview  by  appointment  on  Thursday,  ist  inst., 
with  the  following  members  of  the  government :  Hon.  J.  J.  Ross,  Premier ; 
Hon.  J.  Blanchet,  Provincial  Secretary;  Hon.  W.  W.  Lynch,  Commis- 
sioner of  Crown  Lands;  Hon.  E.  J.  Flynn,  Commissioner  of  Railways. 
The  deputation  pointed  out : 

I.  That  unless  a  minimum  number  of  patients  were  placed  with  an 
institution  it  would  be  impossible  to  carry  it  on  with  efficiency,  unless  at 
such  an  expense  as  would  practically  be  prohibitive. 


*  Minutes  of  meeting  held  March  24,  1886. 


302  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF    THE    INSANE 

2.  That  the  lowest  minimum  might  be  considered  as  lOO. 

3.  That  all  the  arrangements  of  the  committee  had  been  on  the  general 
understanding  (stated  to  have  been  arrived  at  with  the  government)  that 
the  Protestant  patients  in  the  Longue  Pointe  Asylum  should  be  placed  in 
the  new  asylimi  when  erected  and  properly  equipped.  The  number  of  such 
patients  was  stated  to  be  about  150. 

4.  The  deputation  further  pressed  upon  the  government  the  reason- 
ableness of  a  more  liberal  rate  of  remuneration  than  they  had  proposed, 
and  asked  that  it  be  raised  to  S132  per  head,  at  least  for  the  first  five  years ; 
also,  that  the  interest  on  the  proposed  loan  should  be  made  at  5  per  cent, 
inasmuch  as  money  could  be  borrowed  on  good  mortgage  security  at  that 
rate. 

The  members  of  the  government,  having  heard  their  statements,  replied 
as  follows :  As  to  the  first  and  second,  they  admitted  the  reasonableness 
of  the  views  urged  by  the  deputation. 

As  to  the  third,  they  stated  that  it  had  always  been  their  intention,  and 
was  now,  to  do  whatever  lay  in  their  power,  in  good  faith,  to  facilitate 
and  bring  about  the  transfer  of  Protestant  patients  from  Longue  Pointe 
to  the  new  asylum,  but  they  could  not  vmdertake  to  overrule  the  express 
wishes  of  the  friends,  or  guardians,  of  such  patients,  should  these  friends 
prefer  to  let  the  insane  in  their  charge  still  remain  at  Longue  Pointe. 
With  this  reservation  the  government  would  take  measures  to  meet  the 
views  of  the  directors  with  regard  to  placing  the  minimum  number  named 
of  Protestant  patients  under  their  care,  whenever  a  properly  equipped 
asylum  was  ready  for  them.  With  regard  to  remuneration  for  patients, 
and  a  lower  rate  of  interest,  the  government  was  willing  to  reconsider 
these  points.^ 

After  hearing  this  report  the  meeting  resolved  that  it  be  received 
and  adopted,  that  the  committee  be  continued,  and  that  they  be 
requested  to  fonvard  a  copy  of  the  report  to  the  government,  and 
embody  such  reply  as  they  might  obtain  in  a  communication  to  the 
board,  to  be  made  the  basis  on  which  to  formulate  an  appeal  to  the 
public  for  funds  in  aid  of  a  Protestant  insane  asylum. 

An  ansvi-er  was  presented  to  the  board  on  May  14.  It  was  to 
the  effect  that  the  government  agreed  to  provide  a  minimum  of 
100  patients,  provided  the  friends  of  such  patients  would  agree 
to  their  being  placed  in  the  new  hospital ;  that  the  annual  rate 
of  payment  for  insane  patients  should  be  $116,  and  for  idiots,  $80; 
that  inasmuch  as  loans  made  to  Longue  Pointe  and  Beauport 
asylums  carried  6  per  cent  interest,  that  to  the  Protestant  insti- 
tution must  be  at  the  same  rate,  since  any  reduction  thereon  might 
lead  to  a  demand  for  a  similar  reduction  on  the  part  of  the  other 

*  Minutes  of  meeting  held  April  9,  1886. 


QUEBEC  303 

two  establishments ;  that  before  the  loan  was  made  it  must  be 
shown  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  government  that  sufficient  funds 
were  at  command  to  pay  for  the  land,  and  to  erect  and  furnish  the 
buildings;  that  before  authorizing  the  admission  of  any  patients 
the  government  must  be  perfectly  satisfied  with  the  building,  its 
interior  accommodation,  furnishings  and  attendants,  in  every  par- 
ticular; and  that  it  should  be  absolutely  imperative  on  the  cor- 
poration that  the  hospital  should  be  under  the  provisions  of  the 
provincial  laws  in  force,  or  that  might  thereafter  be  in  force,  as 
respected  management,  supervision,  etc/ 

This  letter  having  been  thoroughly  discussed,  a  committee  was 
named  to  make  preliminary  inquiries  as  to  the  cost  of  a  suitable 
building  and  appliances,  as  well  as  the  expense  of  management, 
and  prepare  a  prospectus  based  thereon  to  be  submitted  to  the 
directors. 

At  the  next  meeting  of  the  board,  this  committee  reported  the 
probable  cost  as  in  the  neighborhood  of  $100,000,  and  presented 
a  prospectus  which  they  had  prepared  appealing  to  the  public  to 
raise  that  sum.  In  this,  which  at  a  subsequent  meeting  was  ordered 
to  be  printed  and  distributed  throughout  the  province,  were 
described  the  work  already  accomplished,  the  then  position  of  the 
corporation,  and  the  terms  offered  by  the  government. 

Affairs  being  now  in  shape,  it  was  resolved  that  a  vigorous  can- 
vass for  subscriptions  should  be  inaugurated,  and  that  a  meeting 
of  all  qualified  members  should  be  summoned  at  an  early  date  to 
elect  a  regular  board  of  governors  and  its  officers  (in  place  of  the 
provisional  directorate)  for  the  management  of  the  hospital,  in 
compliance  with  the  act  of  incorporation,  and  to  make  the  neces- 
sary by-laws,  rules  and  regulations  for  the  guidance  of  the  same. 

Pursuant  to  this  resolve  a  meeting  was  held  on  October  20, 
1886,  at  which  a  board  of  governors  was  elected.  His  Lordship 
Bishop  Bond  was  made  president ;  Mr.  Charles  Alexander  and 
Mr.  George  Hague,  vice-presidents ;  Mr.  F.  Wolferstan  Thomas, 
treasurer ;  and  Dr.  Jno.  Wanless,  Hon.  secretary. 

By  the  code  of  by-laws  prepared,  the  business  affairs  of  the 
hospital  were  vested  in  a  board  of  management  to  consist  of  the 
officers  of  the  board  of  governors  and  not  less  than  12  members 

^Ibid.,  May  14,  1886. 


304  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

elected  to  act  for  three  years,  one-third  to  retire  annually,  but 
eligible  for  re-election ;  and  on  November  2,  1886,  the  following 
gentlemen  were  made  to  constitute  the  first  board  of  management : 
Messrs.  Alfred  Perry,  W.  D.  Stroud,  G.  B.  Burland,  Wm.  Ken- 
nedy, J.  C.  McLaren,  James  McBride,  Robt.  Miller,  Samuel 
Davis,  Wm.  Drysdale,  Hy.  Lyman,  W.  R.  Ross  and  Rev.  Samuel 
Massey. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  in  December  following,  Mr.  George 
B.  Burland  was  made  president  in  the  place  of  His  Lordship 
Bishop  Bond,  who  had  expressed  a  wish  to  be  released  from  the 
duties  of  the  office  on  account  of  the  many  official  functions  con- 
nected with  his  diocese.  Mr.  Burland  continued  to  fill  the  presi- 
dency up  to  the  summer  of  1888,  when,  a  disagreement  having 
arisen  between  himself  and  some  of  the  other  governors,  he 
resigned.  The  position  was  refilled  on  December  27  following  by 
the  election  of  the  Hon.  J.  K.  Ward. 

There  was  at  this  time  a  piece  of  land  known  as  the  "  Leduc 
Farm,"  situated  on  the  Upper  Lachine  Road,  which  belonged  to 
the  government.  This  farm,  it  was  thought  by  some  of  the 
governors,  might  answer  as  a  site  for  the  proposed  hospital,  and 
there  was,  moreover,  a  possibility  of  its  being  obtained  as  a  gift 
from  the  ministry.  To  this  end,  on  February  4,  1887,  a  deputation 
waited  upon  the  premier,  the  Hon.  Honore  Mercier.  The  sug- 
gestion, that  the  property  should  be  granted  as  a  site  for  the 
hospital,  was  favorably  received,  and  a  promise  made  of  a  definite 
answer  at  an  early  date.  In  the  meantime,  a  committee  appointed 
to  examine  the  location  in  question  reported  that  it  was  too  small 
for  the  purpose  contemplated,  comprising  only  40  acres,  and  also 
that  there  was  no  water  supply  on  it,  and  no  convenient  means  of 
obtaining  the  same,  and  was  in  consequence  quite  unsuitable. 

A  petition  was,  therefore,  presented  to  the  government  asking 
whether,  in  view  of  these  facts,  it  would  be  willing,  in  order  to 
give  effect  to  its  intention  to  assist  in  the  establishment  of  an  insti- 
tution for  the  Protestant  insane,  to  donate  the  farm  to  the  corpora- 
tion so  that  it  might  be  disposed  of,  and  the  proceeds  devoted  to  the 
purchase  of  a  site  elsewhere.^ 

^  Draft  memorial  (unpublished)  to  government  re  Leduc  Farm,  February 
23.  1887. 


QUEBEC  305 

In  answer  to  this  petition,  Mr,  Mercier,  after  consulting  his 
colleagues  in  the  government,  agreed  to  grant  the  corporation,  in 
lieu  of  the  Leduc  Farm,  a  free  gift  of  $10,000,  the  sum  at  which 
that  property  was  valued/  He  furthermore  agreed  to  make  the 
board  of  governors  a  loan  of  $15,000  for  ten  years  at  5  per  cent 
interest,  payable  in  five  annual  instalments,  the  first  of  which 
should  become  due  in  five  years  from  the  date  of  the  loan.  A 
condition  attached  to  these  agreements  was  that  neither  of  the 
sums  mentioned  should  be  paid  over  to  the  corporation  until  the 
land  required  for  the  asylum  had  been  purchased.* 

The  estimated  sum  required  to  purchase  a  property  and  erect 
a  building  suitable  for  200  patients  was  $125,000,  and  this  wel- 
come aid  from  the  government  induced  the  board  of  governors 
to  make  a  fresh  appeal  to  the  Protestant  population  of  the  province. 
By  the  close  of  the  year  1887  the  additional  subscriptions  amounted 
to  $58,139.82,  making  a  total  of  $68,139.82.' 

On  May  30,  1887,  the  Hadley  Farm,  selected  by  the  site  com- 
mittee in  the  spring  of  1886,  was  finally  purchased  for  the  sum 
of  $18,000.  Situated  in  the  municipality  of  Verdun,  whence  the 
name  by  which  the  hospital  is  often  designated,  just  at  the  foot 
of  the  Lachine  Rapids,  the  location  chosen  was  an  admirable  and 
extremely  picturesque  one.  The  mountain  rising  behind  crowned 
with  green  woods,  its  lower  slopes  dotted  with  villas ;  the  mighty 
St.  Lawrence,  with  its  timbered  islands,  stretching  in  front ;  and 
the  dancing  rapids,  with  their  musical  roar,  in  such  close  proximity, 
made  a  prospect  of  scenic  beauty  difficult  to  surpass. 

Plans  and  specifications  for  a  building  to  accommodate  250 
inmates,  the  cost  not  to  exceed  $80,000,  were  advertised  for  in 
the  Montreal,  Toronto,  and  London  (Ont.)  newspapers.  Those 
prepared  by  Messrs.  J.  W.  &  E.  C.  Hopkins,  of  Montreal,  as  most 
nearly  approaching  the  requirements  of  the  advertisement,  were 
approved  of.    A  condition  of  the  approval  was  that  a  committee 

^  This  farm  having  been  subsequently  disposed  of  by  the  government 
for  $i8,oco,  Mr.  Mercier  generously  placed  to  the  credit  of  the  hospital 
the  extra  amount  received  less  charges,  to-wit,  the  sum  of  $7821.29. 

^  Report  (unpublished)  of  committee  appointed  to  interview  the  gov- 
ernment, April  9,  1887. 

*  Report  of  the  governors  of  the  Protestant  Hospital  for  Insane  for  the 
year  1887. 


3o6  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

of  governors,  accompanied  by  one  of  the  architects,  should  visit 
some  of  the  principal  asylums  in  the  United  States,  and  any 
improvement  in  the  plans  suggested  by  this  visit  should  be  incor- 
porated in  them. 

The  highest  level  of  the  property  having  been  selected  as  the 
position  for  the  building,  the  work  of  excavation  was  begun  in 
June,  1888.  While  this  was  being  done,  tenders  to  the  extent  of 
$108,170  were  obtained  for  the  different  portions  of  the  structure, 
but  before  the  consideration  of  these  was  entered  upon,  the  finance 
committee  was  asked  for  a  report  on  the  state  of  the  funds  and 
the  future  prospects  for  further  subscriptions.  This  was  in  ac- 
cordance with  a  resolution  of  the  board,  passed  February  15, 
1888,  that  no  contract  should  be  given  for  building  operations  until 
at  least  $90,000  had  been  subscribed,  and  an  amount  of  not  less 
than  $50,000  was  at  credit.  The  report  of  the  finance  com- 
mittee was  that :  "  In  view  of  the  present  circumstances  of  the 
corporation,  and  the  prospects  of  further  support,  it  is  the  opinion 
of  the  committee  that  the  resolution  of  the  board  of  the  15th 
February  last  has  been  virtually  complied  with,  and  that  the  erec- 
tion of  the  necessary  buildings  may  be  prudently  proceeded  with, 
provided  the  tenders  received  the  approval  of  the  governors."  * 

The  officers  of  the  corporation  at  the  time  building  operations 
commenced  were  as  follows :  * 

President — G.  B.  Burland,  Esq. 

First  Vice-President — Henry  Lyman,  Esq. 

Second  Vice-President — W.  D.  Stroud,  Esq. 

Treasurer — F.  Wolferstan  Thomas,  Esq. 

Honorary  Secretary — John  Wanless,  M.  D.,  L.  F.  P.  S.,  Glas- 
gow. 

Honorary  Counsel — L.  H.  Davidson,  M.  A.,  D.  C.  L.,  Q.  C. 

Chairman,  Finance  Committee — George  Hague,  Esq. 

Chairman,  Building  Committee — Alderman  William  Kennedy. 

Chairman,    Grounds    and    Equipment    Committee — Alfred 
Perry,  Esq. 

Chairman,  Subscription  Committee — Rev.  Samuel  Massey. 

General  Secretary — Edward  Hollis. 

^Report  (unpublished)  of  Finance  Committee,  July  9,  1888. 

*  Report  of  governors  of  Protestant  Hospital  for  Insane  for  the  year  1887. 


QUEBEC  307 

By  the  close  of  the  year  1888  considerable  progress  had  been 
made  in  the  work,  although  the  weather  had  been  most  unfavorable 
for  building  operations.  Subscriptions,  however,  had  come  in  but 
slowly,  and  there  still  remained  a  sum  of  $29,645.58  to  be  raised 
in  order  to  cover  the  contracts  actually  entered  into.  This  sum, 
moreover,  did  not  provide  for  the  expense  of  furnishing,  laying 
out  of  grounds,  purchase  of  farm  implements,  etc.  The  board, 
therefore,  appealed  to  the  general  Protestant  public  for  additional 
help  to  complete  the  work.* 

A  reason,  which  probably  accounted,  in  part  at  least,  for  this 
paucity  of  subscriptions,  was  an  attempt  to  prevent  the  construc- 
tion of  the  hospital  on  the  site  selected.  Opposition  to  its  erec- 
tion thereon  was  made  by  some  of  the  neighboring  proprietors. 
This,  after  the  service  upon  the  board  of  several  protests,  cul- 
minated in  a  suit  against  the  corporation  by  Messrs.  John  Crawford 
and  Henry  Hadley,  residents  of  Verdun,  on  July  28,  1888.  In 
pleading,  it  was  asked  that  for  the  reasons  set  forth  in  their 
declaration,  the  corporation  "  should  be  ordered  to  desist  from 
erecting  and  maintaining  on  said  site  their  proposed  asylum  or 
hospital,  and  be  perpetually  enjoined  not  to  proceed  further  with 
their  said  undertaking." 

The  chief  grounds  on  which  the  plaintiffs  based  their  demands 
were  that  the  erection  of  the  building  and  the  maintenance  and 
carrying  on  of  an  asylum  on  the  site  chosen  constituted  a  public 
nuisance,  and  was  a  source  of  injury  and  damage  to  them,  decreas- 
ing the  value  of  their  property,  especially  as  sites  for  villas  and 
elegant  dwellings ;  and  that  they,  the  plaintiffs,  would  be  exposed 
to  constant  annoyance,  inconvenience,  and  danger,  with  great 
risk  of  disease  through  the  contamination  of  the  air  and  pollution 
of  the  Rivers  St.  Lawrence  and  St.  Pierre  by  the  sewage  from  the 
hospital. 

The  board  of  governors,  believing  there  was  no  foundation 
in  fact  for  the  complaint,  and  being  advised  by  their  honorary 
counsel,  Mr.  L.  H.  Davidson,  that  in  his  opinion  the  plaintiffs 
could  not,  at  that  stage  of  the  undertaking  at  least  (if  at  any 
time),  maintain  the  said  action,  instructed  defence  to  be  filed  on 
behalf  of  the  corporation.    This  was  done,  and  the  case  specially 

^  Annual  report  (unpublished)  of  Board  of  Governors  of  the  Protestant 
Hospital  for  the  Insane  for  the  year  1888. 


308  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

tried  in  the  Superior  Court  before  the  Honorable  Mr.  Justice 
Jette,  subsequently  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  province,  on  the 
nth  of  December,  1888.  After  the  examination  of  some  75  wit- 
nesses, argument  was  fixed  for  January  11,  1889,  ^^e  result  being 
that  the  action  was  dismissed  with  costs/ 

The  case  was  then  carried  by  the  plaintiffs  to  the  Court  of 
Appeal,  where,  on  March  21,  1891,  judgment  was  rendered  by 
Chief  Justice  Sir  A.  A.  Dorion  sustaining  the  decision  of  the 
Superior  Court  and  dismissing  the  appeal.  Leave  to  carry  it  to 
the  Pri\T  Council  was  moved  for  and  granted,  but  this  step  was 
never  taken,  the  plaintiffs  withdrawing  the  case  and  paying  all 
costs. 

In  spite  of  this  litigious  opposition  the  work  of  construction 
proceeded  steadily  onward  during  1889,  and  by  the  spring  of 
1890  the  administration  building  and  west  wing,  all  that  the  funds 
of  the  corporation  permitted  them  to  erect  at  that  time,  were 
completed.  Dr.  Thomas  J.  W.  Burgess,  assistant  superintendent 
of  the  Hamilton,  Ont.,  Asylum,  and  previously  assistant  superin- 
tendent of  the  London  Asylum,  a  pupil  and  godson  of  Dr.  Joseph 
Workman,  was  chosen  as  medical  superintendent,  and  took  charge 
of  the  institution  on  May  i,  1890. 

At  this  period  the  financial  position  of  the  management,  owing 
to  the  fact  that  the  expenditure  had  been  much  in  excess  of  what 
had  been  calculated  upon,  was  an  extremely  strained  one.  So 
much  so  was  this  the  case  that  but  for  the  help  accorded  by  the 
president,  Hon.  J.  K.  Ward,  Mr.  James  Shearer,  Mr.  Robert  Reid, 
Mr.  James  ]\IcBride,  and  a  few  others  among  the  governors,  who 
became  personally  responsible  for  some  $20,000  of  indebtedness, 
the  hospital  would  in  all  probability  have  come  to  an  untimely 
end.  To  cover  this  deficit,  complete  the  furnishing  of  the  building, 
and  meet  the  running  expenses,  a  further  sum  was  borrowed  from 
the  government,  making  the  total  liability  of  the  corporation 
thereto  $50,000. 

The  first  patient  was  received  into  the  hospital  on  July  15,  1890,* 
and  before  the  end  of  that  year  there  had  been  139  admissions. 
Fifty-eight  of  these,  39  men  and  19  women,  came  from  Longue 

^Annual  report  (unpublished)  of  Board  of  Governors  of  the  Protestant 
Hospital  for  the  Insane  for  the  year  1888. 
'  This  patient  is  still  a  resident  at  the  date  of  writing,  1916. 


QUEBEC  369' 

Pointe  Asylum.  No  patients  were  received  from  the  Beauport 
institution  at  this  time,  inasmuch  as  by  the  terms  of  its  contract 
with  the  proprietors,  the  government  had  no  power  to  remove 
any  of  the  inmates  therefrom,  unless  recovered.  In  1894,  how- 
ever, this  contract  having  expired,  a  number  of  the  Protestant 
insane  were  transferred  to  Verdun.  One  of  these  had  been  a 
resident  of  the  Quebec  Asylum  over  48  years. 

At  the  date  of  opening  of  the  establishment,  the  officers  and 
board  of  management  were  as  follows:  President,  Hon.  J.  K. 
Ward;  First  Vice-President,  Charles  Alexander;  Second  Vice- 
President,  John  H.  R.  Molson;  Hon.  Treasurer,  F,  Wolferstan 
Thomas ;  Honorary  Secretary,  Dr.  John  Wanless ;  Honorary 
Counsel,  Dr.  L.  H.  Davidson,  Q.  C. ;  Secretary,  Edward  Hollis. 
Board  of  Management:  His  Lordship  Bishop  Bond,  Rev.  Dr. 
James  Barclay,  James  Brown,  John  Black,  Rev.  Dr.  Cornish,  M. 
Davis,  Walter  Drake,  W.  S.  Evans,  George  Esplin,  William  Euard, 
M.  Goldstein,  George  Hague,  William  Kennedy,  Henry  Lyman, 
James  Moore,  James  McBride,  Colin  McArthur,  Alfred  Perry, 
William  Rutherford,  WilHam  Reid,  R.  G.  Reid,  Robert  Reid,  Rev. 
Dr.  Shaw,  James  Shearer,  L  H.  Stearns,  E.  E.  Shelton,  J,  C. 
Watson,  Mrs.  Dow,  Miss  Dow,  Miss  Ethel  Frothingham,  Mrs. 
John  H.  R.  Molson,  Mrs.  R.  G.  Reid,  Mrs.  Robert  Reid,  Mrs.  F. 
Wolferstan  Thomas,  Mrs.  J.  K.  Ward. 

One  of  the  most  momentous  questions  in  the  conduct  of  the 
hospital  now  became  the  maintenance  of  indigent  patients,  and  on 
February  2,  1891,  an  agreement  for  their  support  was  entered  into 
between  the  corporation,  represented  by  the  Hon.  J.  K.  Ward,  and 
the  government,  represented  by  the  Hon.  Charles  Langelier, 
Provincial  Secretary.  By  this  agreement,  which  was  for  a  period 
of  five  years  dating  from  the  opening  of  the  hospital,  the  govern- 
ment undertook  to  pay  for  all  Protestant  public  patients  at  the 
rate  of  $116  per  annum,  the  province  to  assume  and  retain  the 
absolute  control  of  the  medical  service,  with  the  understanding 
that  it  would  appoint  such  physicians  as  the  corporation  might 
recommend,  provided  they  had  the  necessary  qualifications.  Un- 
der these  conditions,  the  medical  superintendent.  Dr.  Burgess, 
became  and  remains  a  government  official. 

Another  essential  article  in  the  agreement  was  that  the  govern- 
ment undertook  to  maintain  the  Protestant  character  of  the  insti- 


3IO  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

tution,  secured  by  its  act  of  incorporation,  and  that  the  powers, 
rights  and  privileges  conferred  upon  the  hospital  and  its  board  of 
governors  by  the  said  act  should  not  be  impaired  in  any  respect 
by  the  contract/ 

The  agreement  thus  made  was  the  subject  of  much  heated  dis- 
cussion among  the  members  of  the  board  of  governors,  some 
of  whom  maintained  that  it  was  but  a  continuance  of  the  "  farm- 
ing-out "  system,  which  it  had  been  the  foremost  idea  of  the 
founders  to  terminate.  It  was  held  by  the  majority,  however,  that 
inasmuch  as  by  the  charter  of  incorporation  all  moneys  received 
from  whatever  source  must  be  applied  to  the  support  of  the  hos- 
pital and  the  care  of  the  inmates,  there  could  be  no  suspicion  of  an 
attempt  on  the  part  of  anyone  to  make  a  revenue  out  of  the 
patients,  which  was  the  essential  element  in  the  decried  system. 
Moreover,  under  the  terms  of  the  contract,  the  medical  control  was 
vested  in  the  government,  whose  officer,  in  the  person  of  the 
medical  superintendent,  had  the  prescribing  of  all  treatment,  med- 
ical, moral,  dietetic  and  hygienic ;  the  hiring  and  dismissal  of  all 
attendants  and  the  regulation  of  the  number  of  such  to  be  em- 
ployed ;  and  the  power  to  order  any  alteration  he  might  see  fit  in 
the  buildings  that  would  tend  in  any  way  to  the  betterment  of  the 
condition  of  the  patients. 

By  the  end  of  1891  Dr.  Burgess  reported  that  his  male  public 
wards  were  filled,  and  that  to  strive  to  crowd  more  patients  into 
them  would  be  doing  an  injustice  to  those  already  in  residence. 
For  this  reason,  and  to  enable  him  to  make  a  better  classification 
of  the  inmates,  he  urged  the  construction  of  the  east  wing  at  the 
earliest  possible  moment,  saying : 

In  the  matter  of  proper  classification,  one  of  the  most  important  features 
of  modern  hospital  treatment,  we  are  sadly  handicapped  by  the  lack  of  a 
sufficient  number  of  wards.  In  eight  corridors  we  have  to  provide  accom- 
modation for  men  and  women,  public  and  private  patients.  Ere  it  can  be 
a  hospital  proper,  our  institution  must  admit  of  as  broad  a  classification  as 
is  consistent  with  safety  and  reasonable  economy. 

To  associate  quiet  and  orderly  patients  with  the  violent  and  noisy,  the 
filthy  and  destructive  with  the  cleanly  and  tidy,  the  dangerous  with  the 
harmless,  and  the  suicidal  with  those  who  can  be  trusted,  detracts  much 
from  the  prospects  of  recovery.    The  delusional  insane,  intelligent  in  every 

*  Annual  report  of  the  Protestant  Hospital  for  Insane  for  the  year  1890, 
p.  23. 


QUEBEC  311 

respect  other  than  on  a  few  points,  should  not  be  compelled  to  mix  with  the 
demented  and  imbecile;  the  infirm,  requiring  the  added  comforts  of  an 
infirmary  ward  with  plenty  of  air  and  sunshine,  should  not  occupy  the 
same  rooms  as  those  physically  strong;  the  convalescents,  who  need  rest 
and  quiet,  should  not  be  compelled  to  bear  the  sight  and  sound  of  acutely 
excited  patients.  Especially  should  demented  (wet  and  dirty)  patients  be 
provided  with  separate  accommodation.  To  scatter  such  through  the  gen- 
eral wards  lowers  the  tone  of  all  the  wards,  and  is,  to  say  the  least,  unpleas- 
ant to  other  patients,  many  of  whom  are  hypersensitive.  This  class,  often 
requiring  to  be  fed  by  hand,  demanding  frequent  bathing  with  changes  of 
clothing  and  bedding,  in  short,  having  to  be  treated  like  helpless  children, 
should  be  placed  where  they  can  receive  special  attention  day  and  night. 

For  patients  fitted  for  it,  the  cottage  system,  with  its  general  atmosphere 
of  home-like  comfort,  offers  advantages  that  no  ordinary  ward  can  supply. 

Given  the  hospital  completed  by  the  erection  of  the  other  wing  and  one 
or  two  cottages,  we  would  be  in  a  position  to  look  for  the  best  results, 
which,  as  at  present  constituted,  we  cannot  even  hope  for.* 

In  consequence  of  this  report,  on  April  23,  1892,  a  deputation, 
composed  of  the  undermentioned  governors,  waited  upon  Hon. 
John  S.  Hall,  Provincial  Treasurer ;  Hon.  J.  K.  Ward,  F.  Wolfer- 
stan  Thomas,  Robert  Reid,  Rev.  Dr.  Douglas,  George  Hague, 
R.  L.  Gault,  James  Crathern,  Samuel  Finley,  S.  H.  Ewing,  James 
McBride,  Rev.  W.  Hall,  Dr.  J.  Wanless,  Charles  Alexander  and 
Alfred  Perry.  The  object  of  this  deputation  was  to  present  a 
petition  to  the  following  effect,  which  was  done  by  Mr.  Thomas : 

To  His  Honor,  the  Lieutenant-Governor  in  Council,  Province  of  Quebec: 

We,  your  petitioners,  the  governors  and  subscribers  of  the  Protestant 
Hospital  for  the  Insane,  desire  to  place  before  you  a  statement  of  the 
position  of  the  institution,  and  in  so  doing,  approach  you  in  full  confidence 
that  immediate  action  will  be  taken  by  the  government  to  assist  us  in 
placing  it  on  a  sound  and  workable  basis. 

That  portion  of  the  hospital  set  apart  for  men  is  full  to  repletion,  and 
the  resident  medical  superintendent  has  notified  us  that  he  is  under  the 
necessity  of  refusing  admission  to  patients  of  that  class  until  additional 
accommodation  is  provided. 

To  meet  this  we  see  no  remedy  but  to  erect  the  eastern  wing  as  originally 
contemplated,  but  this  cannot  be  done  imless  the  government  comes  to 
our  assistance.  At  present,  we  are,  by  agreement  entered  into  with  the 
province,  bound  to  receive  all  Protestant  patients,  care  and  provide  for 
them,  in  accordance  with  a  detailed  schedule  supplied  by  the  government, 
for  the  sum  of  $116  each  per  annum.     That  agreement  expires  in  1895. 

*  Second  annual  report  of  the  medical  superintendent  of  the  Protestant 
Hospital  for  the  Insane,  being  for  the  year  1891. 

26 


312  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

We  have,  under  the  supervision  of  your  medical  officer,  furnished  for  the 
use  of  inmates  each  and  every  thing  therein  stipulated  for,  and  we  find 
the  cost  for  doing  this  amounts  to  $207.36,  showing  an  annual  deficiency 
of  $91.36  per  patient.  We  have  no  data  to  enable  us  to  compare  the 
efficiency  of  the  treatment  in  the  Verdun  Hospital  with  that  of  other  in- 
stitutions in  the  province,  but,  from  the  medical  officer's  report  to  the 
government,  it  will  be  seen  that  52.55  per  cent  of  the  number  of  admissions 
to  the  hospital  during  the  past  year  have  been  discharged. 

The  governors  feel  persuaded  that,  by  a  compliance  with  this  petition, 
the  building  can  be  completed  as  originally  contemplated  and  the  insti- 
tution maintained  at  a  cost  of  $155  per  head — a  low  rate  as  compared  with 
similar  institutions  in  Ontario  and  the  United  States. 

In  pursuance  of  the  foregoing  presentment,  and  having  in  view  the 
placing  of  the  institution  upon  an  efficient  and  permanent  basis,  your  peti- 
tioners respectfully  submit: 

1.  That  the  hospital  be  empowered  to  issue  debentures,  having  a  currency 
of  twenty  years,  to  the  extent  of  $150,000 — in  sums  of  $500  and  $1000 
respectively — ^bearing  interest  at  a  rate  to  be  agreed  upon,  payable  semi- 
annually; to  be  secured  by  a  first  mortgage  on  the  property  of  the  insti- 
tution. 

2.  To  enable  the  governors  to  negotiate  the  said  bonds  on  the  most 
favorable  terms,  both  principal  and  interest  should  be  guaranteed  by  the 
province. 

3.  From  the  first  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  the  said  bonds,  the  sum  of 
$50,000  be  applied  to  the  discharge  of  the  present  mortgage  debt  now  held 
by  the  province. 

4.  To  secure  the  proper  disposition  of  the  balance  remaining  to  the  satis- 
faction of  the  government,  it  is  proposed  to  appropriate  $25,000  in  defray- 
ing the  present  floating  debt  of  the  institution,  the  remainder  to  be  expended 
in  the  erection  of  the  required  buildings,  with  their  necessary  furnishings, 
the  laying  out  and  embellishment  of  the  grounds. 

5.  It  will  be  obvious  to  the  government  that  they  will  be  amply  secured 
for  the  payment  of  the  semi-annual  interest,  by  deducting  the  same  from 
the  quarterly  amounts  accruing  to  the  hospital  from  the  maintenance  of 
indigent  patients. 

Should  the  government  accede  to  this  proposition,  we  agree  and  bind 
ourselves  to  erect  forthwith  the  proposed  eastern  wing  to  accommodate 
200  additional  inmates,  also  the  requisite  barns,  stables  and  farm  buildings. 

And  your  petitioners,  as  in  duty  bound,  will  ever  pray.^ 

After  hearing  the  petition  read,  Mr.  Hall  spoke  in  the  highest 
terms  of  the  excellent  work  that  was  being  accomplished  by  the 
hospital,  and  promised  a  favorable  consideration  of  the  requests. 
Inasmuch,  however,  as  the  government  had  been  pleased  to  ask 
for  some  guarantee  that  the  hospital  would  not  be  closed  at  any 

^  Daily  Witness,  Montreal,  April  6  and  25,  1892. 


QUEBEC  313 

time,  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Montreal  was  called  for  June  6, 
1892,  to  emphasize  the  position  of  the  governors  and  bring  in- 
fluence to  bear  on  the  government  to  grant  the  petition. 

In  response  to  this  call,  a  large  and  representative  gathering 
assembled  in  the  Mechanics'  Institute,  St.  James  Street,  on  the 
appointed  date,  the  Rev.  Dean  Carmichael  presiding.  The  fol- 
lowing resolution,  moved  by  Hon.  Justice  Lynch  and  seconded 
by  Mr.  James  Crathern,  was  put  and  carried  unanimously : 

That  this  meeting,  having  taken  communication  of  the  memorial  on 
behalf  of  the  Protestant  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  desires  to  urge  in  the 
strongest  possible  terms  on  the  government  of  this  province  the  granting 
of  its  requests.  They  do  so,  feeling  that  it  can  be  acceded  to  without 
any  unfair  or  undue  burden  on  the  finances  of  the  province.  Such  an  insti- 
tution is  not  only  a  benefit  to  the  Protestant  minority,  whose  needs  it  is 
expressly  intended  to  serve,  but  has  already  proved  of  great  value  to  the 
community  in  the  stimulus  it  has  given  to  improved  methods  in  caring 
for  the  insane,  and  we  pledge  ourselves,  in  so  far  as  we  can  do  so,  the 
Protestant  minority  in  this  province,  to  use  all  proper  means  to  continue 
to  maintain  it  in  its  present  efficiency  without  further  appeal  to  the  Pro- 
vincial Government. 

After  the  passage  of  this  resolution,  addresses  were  made  by 
Sir  Donald  A.  Smith  (later  Lord  Strathcona  and  Mount  Royal), 
Mr.  W.  W.  Ogilvie,  Mr.  F.  Wolferstan  Thomas,  Mr.  Jonathan 
Hodgson,  Mr.  George  Hague,  Dr.  T.  G.  Roddick,  Mr.  Richard 
White,  Mr.  Henry  Lyman,  Dr.  Campbell  and  others.  Before  the 
close  of  the  proceedings,  the  undermentioned  delegates  were 
selected  to  go  to  Quebec  and  express  to  the  government  the 
sentiments  of  the  meeting :  Hon.  J.  K.  Ward,  Mr.  Charles  Alex- 
ander, Mr.  F.  Wolferstan  Thomas,  Mr.  Robert  Reid,  Mr.  Alfred 
Perry,  Mr.  G.  W.  Stephens,  Mr.  George  Hague,  Mr.  A.  F.  Gault, 
and  Mr.  S.  Finley.' 

The  issue  of  the  debentures  having  been  agreed  to  by  the  govern- 
ment on  the  proposed  terms,  plans  for  the  new  wing  were  prepared 
by  Messrs.  Wright  &  Son,  architects,  of  Montreal.  The  tenders 
called  for  placed  the  cost  of  the  proposed  addition  at  $40,571,  and 
work  was  commenced  forthwith  in  the  autumn  of  1892. 

Through  the  generosity  of  Mr.  John  H.  R.  Molson,  the  hospital 
during  the  same  year,  1892,  was  enabled  to  erect  a  gymnasium, 
attached  to  which  was  a  bowling-alley  and  curling-rink.     Other 

^  Montreal  Herald,  June  7,  1892. 


314  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE  OF   THE  INSANE 

improvements  made  were  the  construction  of  new  farm  buildings 
and  the  laying  of  a  main  sewer  from  the  laundry  to  the  river. 

This  year  also  witnessed  the  conclusion  of  Dr.  John  Wanless' 
long  term  of  service  as  Hon.  Secretary,  he  having  expressed  the 
wish  to  be  freed  from  the  duties  of  office.  A  successor  was  ap- 
pointed in  the  person  of  Mr.  Robt.  Reid,  who  continued  to  act, 
save  for  one  year's  interruption,  up  to  1900. 

In  the  following  year,  1893,  the  old  farm-cottage  at  the  front  of 
the  grounds  was  converted  into  a  very  picturesque  entrance  lodge, 
and  the  electric  fire-alarm  system  was  introduced  throughout  the 
establishment. 

In  1894  the  new  wing  was  finished,  furnished  and  occupied,  thus 
somewhat  relieving  the  congested  condition  of  the  old  wards. 
Facilities  for  classification  were,  however,  still  limited,  and  the 
payment  of  the  interest  on  the  $150,000  of  bonds,  amounting  to 
$6750  yearly,  was  a  very  serious  charge  on  the  management,  the 
more  especially  as  the  sum  paid  for  the  support  of  public  patients 
fell  considerably  short  of  the  cost  of  their  maintenance.  In  con- 
nection with  these  matters  the  board  had  an  interview  by  appoint- 
ment with  the  Provincial  Secretary  in  the  summer  of  that  year. 
At  this  interview,  the  Hon.  Mr.  Pelletier  stated  that  the  govern- 
ment fully  recognized  the  fact  that  the  rate  paid  by  it  was  inade- 
quate, and  intimated  that  on  the  expiration  of  the  then  existing 
contract,  in  July  of  the  following  year,  this  would  be  remedied. 
He  also  stated  that  the  question  of  aid  in  the  erection  of  a  separate 
building  for  idiots  and  the  chronic,  troublesome  insane,  either  by 
appropriation  or  the  guaranteeing  of  an  additional  loan,  would  be 
favorably  considered.  In  accordance  with  this  statement,  the 
government,  in  1895,  in  lieu  of  an  increase  in  the  rate  of  main- 
tenance, agreed  to  assume  the  payment  of  the  interest  on  $185,000 
for  three  years.  This  sum  included  the  $150,000  worth  of  bonds 
already  issued,  and  a  further  issue  to  the  extent  of  $35,000  on 
similar  conditions.  By  this  agreement  the  rate  of  maintenance 
was  virtually  increased  to  $150  per  patient  annually,  the  sum  which 
the  governors  had  asked.  With  the  $35,000  was  to  be  erected  a 
separate  building  for  100  imbecile  and  violent  patients.  Plans 
having  been  prepared  by  Messrs.  Taylor  &  Gordon,  the  construc- 
tion of  this  building,  known  as  the  "  Annex,"  *  was  begun  in  the 

^  Now  West  House. 


QUEBEC  315 

spring  and  completed  in  the  fall  of  1896,  at  a  cost  of  about 
$36,000. 

The  year  which  witnessed  the  completion  of  the  annex  saw  also 
the  organization  of  a  training  school  for  nurses  in  connection 
with  the  institution,  and  the  destruction  by  fire,  on  Christmas 
morning,  of  the  hospital  stables.  By  this  misfortune,  happily 
unattended  by  loss  of  human  life,  much  inconvenience  and  con- 
siderable expense  was  entailed  on  the  management  through  the 
destruction  of  all  the  horses,  vehicles  and  agricultural  implements, 
as  well  as  the  winter  supply  of  hay  and  oats. 

The  summer  of  1897  beheld  the  opening  of  the  annex  and  the 
erection  of  an  infirmary.  By  the  occupation  of  the  former,  the 
trying  conditions  incident  to  overcrowding  were  greatly  relieved, 
and  the  superintendent  was  enabled  to  make  a  classification  that 
added  much  to  the  comfort  of  the  entire  household.  The  con- 
struction of  the  latter,  which  was  placed  in  charge  of  a  trained 
hospital  nurse,  enabled  medical  and  surgical  cases  to  receive 
many  of  the  advantages  of  modern  treatment  that  could  not  be 
afforded  them  in  the  general  wards  of  the  hospital.  Other  im- 
provements made  during  this  year  consisted  in  the  erection  of  a 
new  barn  and  stable,  the  introduction  of  a  new  and  enlarged  elec- 
tric light  plant,  and  the  increase  of  the  water  supply  by  the  con- 
struction of  an  additional  underground  water-tank,  with  a  capacity 
of  90,000  gallons. 

Another  notable  event  of  the  year  1897  was  a  visit  on  September 
10  from  the  members  of  the  Psychological  Section  of  the  British 
Medical  Association,  then  meeting  in  Montreal.  Many  of  the 
visitors  were  among  the  foremost  alienists  of  the  day,  and  after 
thoroughly  inspecting  the  hospital  they  warmly  congratulated  the 
management  on  its  efficiency.* 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  corporation,  held  February  15, 
1898,  a  well-merited  tribute  of  respect  was  paid  to  the  father  of 
the  institution,  Mr.  Perry,  by  the  board  of  governors  electing  him 
to  the  position  of  honorary  president  for  life.  At  the  same  meet- 
ing, the  Hon.  Mr.  J.  K.  Ward,  owing  to  failing  health,  retired 
from  the  presidency,  after  nine  years  of  good  and  faithful  service 

^This  visit  is  especially  noteworthy,  inasmuch  as  it  was  the  first  time 
the  association  had  met  outside  the  British  Isles  since  its  organization  in 
1832. 


3l6  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE  INSANE 

and  was  succeeded  by  Mr,  F.  Wolferstan  Thomas,  who  had  been 
treasurer  of  the  hospital  since  1885. 

The  contract  with  the  government  for  the  maintenance  of  pubHc 
patients  having  expired  on  July  i  following,  a  new  one  was  entered 
into,  covering  a  period  of  ten  years,  based  on  the  same  conditions 
as  the  previous  one.  The  deed  of  guarantee  for  the  payment  by 
the  government  of  the  interest  on  $185,000  of  bonds  was  also 
renewed  for  a  like  period. 

The  most  noteworthy  improvement  made  during  this  year  was 
the  establishment  of  a  pathological  laboratory.  Mr.  G.  B.  Burland 
having  generously  offered  to  defray  the  cost  of  a  complete  equip- 
ment, the  basement  story  of  the  infirmary  was  fitted  up  for  the 
reception  of  the  apparatus  under  the  direction  of  the  pathologist, 
Dr.  J.  A.  MacPhail,  who  was  sent  to  England  by  Mr.  Burland  for 
the  purchase  of  the  outfit. 

In  the  summer  of  1902,  a  new  building  for  female  patients  was 
completed  and  opened.  This  structure,  which  had  been  begun  the 
previous  year  on  plans  prepared  by  Messrs.  Finley  &  Spence, 
greatly  relieved  the  congested  condition  of  the  wards  in  the  main 
building  and  brought  the  capacity  of  the  institution  up  to  535. 
It  was  designated  East  House,  in  contra-distinction  to  the  old 
annex  which  was  renamed  West  House.  Another  important 
improvement,  the  making  of  which  had  proceeded  pari  passu  with 
the  erection  of  the  East  House,  was  the  provision  of  a  new  kitchen, 
serving  room  and  cold  storage  plant.  In  the  basement  of  the 
kitchen,  which  was  fitted  up  in  the  most  modem  style,  were  pro- 
vided a  bakery,  a  pastry  room,  and  a  store-room  for  general  sup- 
plies. The  old  kitchen,  when  vacated,  was  overhauled  and  fitted 
up  as  an  addition  to  the  general  dining  room  for  male  patients, 
which  had  previously  been  overcrowded.  These  creations  and 
changes  had  been  rendered  possible  by  a  further  issue  of  bonds, 
guaranteed  by  the  government,  to  the  extent  of  $65,000. 

During  the  same  summer  the  American  Medico-Psychological 
Association,  the  oldest  of  American  medical  societies,  held  its 
58th  annual  session  in  Montreal.  This  was  the  fourth  meeting 
held  on  Canadian  soil  since  its  organization  in  1S44,  and  the  attend- 
ance was  the  largest  ever  recorded  on  its  minutes.  The  hospital 
was  thrown  open  to  the  inspection  of  the  members,  the  majority 
of  whom  visited  it. 


QUEBEC  317 

In  September,  1903,  the  position  of  president  was  yet  again 
rendered  vacant  by  the  untimely  death  of  Mr.  Samuel  Finley,  who 
had  been  elected  to  office  in  succession  to  Mr.  F.  Wolferstan 
Thomas,  deceased,  in  1900.  The  vacancy  was  filled  by  the  promo- 
tion of  Mr.  James  Wilson  from  the  office  of  vice-president. 

Of  improvements  made,  the  most  important  was  the  erection  of 
a  new  steel  water-tower,  with  a  tank  having  a  capacity  of  50,000 
gallons. 

The  year  1905  was  a  sorrowful  one  in  the  annals  of  the  hospital, 
inasmuch  as  during  it  the  venerable  Mr.  Charles  Alexander, 
honorary  vice-president,  was  called  to  his  last  home.  As  was 
justly  stated,  at  the  time,  by  one  of  the  leading  dailies,  "  Montreal's 
best  citizen  died  when  Charles  Alexander,  at  the  age  of  a  score  of 
years  beyond  man's  allotted  span,  passed  away."  His  life  history 
was  bound  up  with  the  progress  of  humanitarian  work  in  the  city 
of  his  adoption.  Everything  that  had  for  its  object  the  prevention 
and  amelioration  of  suffering,  everything  that  made  for  purity  in 
public  affairs,  had  his  sympathy  and  support.  A  broad-minded 
Christian,  he  knew  no  restrictions  of  race  or  creed  in  his  unselfish 
endeavors  for  the  betterment  of  mankind. 

In  addition  to  Mr.  Alexander,  the  supporters  of  the  hospital 
were  once  more  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  a  president,  Mr. 
James  Wilson,  who  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Peter  Lyall. 

The  year,  saddened  though  it  was,  was  not  unmarked  by  prog- 
ress. Thanks  to  the  generosity  of  Mr.  G.  B.  Burland,  one  of  its 
founders  and  its  second  president,  the  hospital  was  put  in  posses- 
sion of  a  detached  residence  for  the  medical  superintendent.  The 
house,  a  model  of  its  kind  and  fitted  with  every  modem  conven- 
ience, was  built  and  furnished  by  Mr.  Burland  from  plans  gotten 
out  by  Mr.  Robt.  Findlay,  The  material  used  was  red  pressed 
brick  with  cut  stone  trimmings,  and  the  cost  about  $25,000. 

The  17th  year  of  the  hospital's  existence  for  the  reception  of 
patients  (1907)  will  ever  be  a  permanent  mile-stone  along  the 
march  of  the  institution's  progress,  as  in  it  the  Hadley  Farm  of 
60  acres,  adjoining  the  hospital  property  on  the  east,  was  acquired. 
To  Dr.  James  Douglas,  of  New  York,  a  Canadian  gentleman  and 
a  native  of  Quebec,  was  this  magnificent  gift  due,  the  price  paid 
for  it  being  $42,000.  Dr.  Douglas,  a  man  of  many  interests  and 
unnumbered  charitable  acts,  was  strongly  attracted  to  the  con- 


3l8  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE  INSANE 

sideration  of  the  S3'stem  providing  for  the  insane  of  the  province, 
from  the  reason  that  his  father,  the  late  Dr.  James  Douglas,  of 
Quebec,  was  the  founder  of  the  Beauport  Asylum  and  among  the 
foremost  of  his  time  in  skilfully  treating  and  caring  for  this 
unfortunate  class  of  patients.  Dr.  Douglas'  original  intention 
was  to  have  provided  a  much-needed  amusement  hall  to  memorial- 
ize his  father's  name  and  good  work  in  alienism,  but  the  above- 
mentioned  property  being  obtainable  and  the  board  having  indi- 
cated its  preference  for  its  acquisition  rather  than  the  building 
of  an  amusement  hall  just  then,  Dr.  Douglas  promptly  consum- 
mated the  transaction,  with  the  result  already  stated.  In  the  deed 
of  gift  it  is  expressly  stipulated  that  the  land  so  donated  shall  at 
no  time  be  mortgageable  to  the  government. 

Other  advancements  during  the  year  consisted  of  the  erection 
of  a  new  fireproof  power-house  to  accommodate  the  machinery 
for  providing  electric  light,  as  well  as  that  for  pumping  water. 
While  this  was  being  constructed  a  14-inch  water-supply  pipe 
was  laid  to  the  city  aqueduct  to  replace  the  old  supply  pipe,  and 
connected  with  the  fire  pumps.  By  this  means,  in  case  of  fire, 
water  could  be  pumped  directly  from  the  aqueduct,  which  fur- 
nished an  inexhaustible  reservoir.  The  cost  of  these  improvements 
was  in  the  neighborhood  of  $25,000. 

For  the  first  time  in  the  chronicles  of  the  hospital  it  was  neces- 
sary, during  1908,  to  seek  quarters  for  patients  outside  the  hospital 
buildings  proper,  and  to  this  end  the  gymnasium,  which  had  been 
a  gift  of  the  late  Mr.  John  H.  R.  Molson  as  early  as  1892,  was 
fitted  up  as  a  temporary  dormitory  for  some  30  cases. 

This  step  was  occasioned  by  lack  of  accommodation,  serious 
overcrowding  having  begun  to  manifest  itself,  as  indeed  was 
unavoidable  when  it  is  remembered  that  the  institution's  capacity 
for  530  was  at  this  time  burdened  with  580  patients. 

The  provision  thus  made,  though  comfortable  and  sanitary, 
was  only  undertaken  by  the  superintendent  lest  urgent  cases 
might  have  to  be  refused  admission ;  a  step  it  was  considered 
would  violate  the  basic  principle  of  the  institution's  birth,  viz., 
the  receiving  and  caring  for  all  the  Protestant  insane  of  the 
province. 

Plans  for  a  new  brick  and  stone  building  were  made  ready 
by  Messrs.  Brown  &  Vallance,  architects ;  tenders  were  soHcited ; 


QUEBEC  319 

and  in  the  summer  ground  was  broken  for  the  structure,  which 
was  to  be  completed  by  March  of  the  following  year. 

The  financing  of  the  construction  was  secured  by  the  board  of 
management  issuing  bonds  to  the  value  of  $75,000,  the  estimated 
cost  of  the  edifice,  which  the  government  guaranteed,  with  interest 
at  4^  per  cent. 

Unfortunately,  early  in  December,  after  the  building  was 
roofed  and  the  inside  work  well  under  way,  a  fire,  carelessly 
lighted  by  some  workman  in  one  of  the  stoves  used  by  the  con- 
tractors for  heating  purposes,  led  to  the  partial  destruction  of  the 
building,  the  damage  done  being  such  that  all  hope  of  occupying 
the  new  wards  before  the  following  summer  had  to  be  abandoned. 

The  delay  in  completion  and  the  monetary  loss  entailed  were 
matters  of  serious  import  to  the  board,  though  sincere  thankful- 
ness was  felt  that  no  loss  of  life  had  resulted,  and  that  none  of 
the  other  structures  were  attacked. 

By  September,  1909,  the  repairs  to  this  new  annex,  known  as 
the  North  West  House,  had  been  completed,  and  the  building  was 
opened  on  the  i6th  of  that  month  by  the  transfer  to  it  of  the 
patients  temporarily  housed  in  the  gymnasium.  The  erection 
of  this  building  enforced  the  tearing  down  of  the  old  ice-house, 
hose-house  and  green-house,  which  were  situated  close  to  it,  and 
their  replacement  by  larger  and  more  modern  structures  else- 
where. 

Though  the  year  1910  witnessed  but  few  improvements,  and 
those  of  comparatively  minor  importance,  it  was  nevertheless  one 
of  great  moment,  in  that  during  it  a  new  contract,  to  cover  a 
period  of  15  years,  was  entered  into  for  the  maintenance  of  pub- 
lic patients.  The  government  recognizing  the  justice  of  the 
plea  advanced  by  the  board  that  the  cost  of  support  had  greatly 
increased  during  the  previous  15  years,  had,  in  1909,  appointed 
a  committee  to  investigate  the  whole  subject.  Accordingly  in 
April,  1910,  the  government  was  met  at  Quebec  by  a  committee 
consisting  of  the  president,  Mr.  Peter  Lyall,  Rev.  Dr.  Jas.  Barclay, 
J.  C.  Holden  and  I.  H.  Stearns.  At  this  conference  the  govern- 
ment agreed  to  increase  the  yearly  rate  paid  from  $116  to  $142  per 
capita.  In  addition  they  undertook  to  pay  the  interest  on  a  total 
indebtedness  of  $325,000,  being  the  value  of  the  bonds  issued  by 


320  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE  OF   THE   INSANE 

the  hospital  and  guaranteed  by  the  government,  thus  bringing  the 
yearly  per  capita  payment  up  to  $165. 

In  1911,  thanks  again  to  the  kindness  of  Dr.  Douglas,  a  much- 
felt  want  was  supplied  in  the  shape  of  a  new  amusement  hall.  The 
board  of  management,  despite  an  appeal  to  the  public,  finding  it 
impossible  to  secure  the  sum  of  $130,000,  the  estimated  cost  of  a 
nurses'  home  and  an  amusement  hall,  for  the  cost  of  which  struc- 
tures Dr.  Douglas  had  generously  volunteered  to  pay  one-half,  the 
project  seemed  likely  to  fall  through.  Under  these  circumstances. 
Dr.  Douglas  volunteered  to  undertake  the  erection  of  whichever 
of  the  two  buildings  the  superintendent  deemed  most  urgently 
needed.  Much  as  he  felt  that  the  nurses  were  entitled  to  the  com- 
fort which  is  to  be  found  only  in  a  detached  home,  he  felt  that  the 
patients  should  come  first,  and,  for  this  reason,  selected  the  amuse- 
ment hall. 

The  contract  for  building  was  given  to  Messrs.  John  Quinlan 
&  Co.,  on  the  designs  prepared  by  Messrs.  Ed.  &  W.  S.  Maxwell, 
and  ground  was  broken  on  May  29.  The  building,  which  is  located 
on  the  Douglas  farm,  is  in  design  one  of  the  most  chaste  and  beau- 
tiful in  the  neighborhood  of  the  city,  and  is  known  as  the  Douglas 
Memorial  Hall,  in  memory,  not  of  himself,  which  honor  Dr. 
Douglas  positively  declined,  but  of  his  father,  the  founder  of  the 
Beauport  Asylum  at  Quebec,  the  first  establishment  for  the  care 
of  the  insane  to  be  erected  in  this  province.  It  is  a  one-story  stone 
and  brick,  fireproof  structure,  capable  of  accommodating  600 
patients,  with  stage,  dressing  rooms,  coat  rooms,  lavatories,  etc., 
and  a  basement  containing  a  kitchen,  supper  room  and  serving 
room,  so  that  the  many  friends  who  voluntarily  entertain  the 
patients  during  the  winter  months  may  not  be  allowed  to  go  away 
hungry  after  they  have  devoted  the  evening  to  their  service.  The 
heating  plant  introduced  was  what  is  known  as  the  "  Webster  Sys- 
tem," a  system  that  had  given  satisfaction  in  other  of  the  buildings, 
steam  being  conveyed  in  pipes  through  a  tunnel  from  the  boiler 
house.  The  fitting  up  of  the  stage  with  scenery,  etc.,  was  done 
under  the  direction  of  Mr,  F.  W.  Taft,  stage  carpenter  of  His 
Majesty's  Theatre,  and  is  such  that  all  ordinary  plays  can  be 
appropriately  produced. 


QUEBEC  321 

On  the  wall  of  the  entrance  vestibule  of  the  hall  was  placed  a 
brass  memorial  tablet  bearing  the  following  inscription : 

This  hall  is  erected  by  his  son, 

in  memory  of 

JAMES  DOUGLAS,  M.  D., 

who  came  to  Canada  in  1827. 

He  was  eminent  as  a  Physician 

and  Surgeon,  and  was  the  Pioneer  Alienist 

in  the  Province  of  Quebec. 

In  connection  with  the  hall,  an  additional  entrance  lodge  and 
gateway  were  erected  on  what  is  known  as  the  Douglas  Farm, 
it  being  the  gift  of  Dr.  Douglas.  It  was  his  wish  that  the  lodge 
should  be  in  keeping  with  the  hall,  situated  on  the  same  property, 
and  the  idea  was  faithfully  carried  out  by  the  architects,  the  house 
being  a  comfortable  brick  and  stone,  seven-room  building,  lighted 
by  electricity  and  heated  by  hot  water. 

The  cost  of  these  structures  was  in  the  neighborhood  of  $65,000. 

In  this  and  the  following  three  years  new  farm  buildings  were 
also  built,  consisting  of  a  barn,  a  root-house,  a  cow-stable,  an 
implement  shed,  a  piggery  and  a  tool-house.  These  are  all  of  the 
most  modern  character,  and  furnished  with  the  most  up-to-date 
fittings. 

The  same  year  saw  the  resumption  of  the  training  school  for 
nurses,  which  for  some  years  had  been  discontinued,  owing  to 
the  paucity  of  the  medical  staff  and  its  overworked  condition. 
It  was  saddened,  however,  by  the  death  of  the  able  and  energetic 
president,  Mr.  Peter  Lyall,  who  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  I.  H. 
Stearns,  the  present  incumbent  of  the  ofifice. 

In  191 5  Dr.  James  Douglas  once  more  came  to  the  assistance  of 
the  institution  by  generously  contributing  $75,000  of  the  sum  re- 
quired to  erect  a  much-needed  nurses'  home.  The  contract  for  con- 
struction, amounting  to  $91,000,  was  awarded  to  Messrs.  A.  F. 
Byers  &  Co.,  of  Montreal.  Work  was  begun  on  October  21,  and  it 
is  expected  that  the  building  will  be  ready  for  occupation  by  the 
end  of  the  present  summer  (1916).  The  structure,  which  is 
intended  to  house  both  men  and  women,  contains  53  bedrooms. 
The  wings  are  completely  non-communicating,  being  separated 
by  a  central  portion  to  be  occupied  by  a  janitor  and  his  wife,  who 
will  be  responsible  for  the  cleanliness  and  good  conduct  of  the 


322  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

establishment.  The  building  is  fireproof,  constructed  of  brick  and 
stone  to  harmonize  with  Douglas  Memorial  Hall.  It  is  208  feet 
long  by  92  feet  wide,  and  is  two  stories  high,  with  an  eight-foot 
basement.  The  estimated  cost,  when  furnished,  is  expected  to  be 
not  less  than  $115,000. 

The  success  of  the  official  head  of  an  asylum  depends  to  a  very 
large  extent  upon  the  character  of  the  assistance  given  by  his 
subordinates,  but  especially  upon  that  of  the  assistant  physicians. 
Throughout  its  existence  the  hospital  has  been  singularly  fortunate 
in  securing  for  assistant  superintendents  men  of  high  character 
and  professional  attainments.  In  its  initial  year,  owing  to  lack 
of  money,  the  institution  was  forced  to  depend  upon  the  services 
of  the  superintendent  alone.  His  absences  from  the  hospital,  dur- 
ing that  period,  were  but  eight,  and  those  only  for  a  few  hours 
at  a  time.  On  such  occasions  his  place  was  filled  by  Dr.  J.  Alex. 
Hutchison,  or  Dr.  A.  D.  MacDonald,  both  practitioners  in  the  city, 
who  generously  volunteered  their  services.  The  second  year 
(1891)  saw  the  appointment  of  Dr.  Jas.  V.  Anglin  as  assistant 
superintendent.  He  quitted  the  service  in  1894  to  engage  in  private 
practice,  and  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  J.  J.  Ross.  In  1895  Dr.  Ross 
also  resigned  to  take  up  practice,  his  place  being  filled  by  Dr.  G.  H. 
Manchester,  who,  at  the  end  of  three  years,  left  to  become  med- 
ical superintendent  of  the  British  Columbia  Asylum.  The  lure  of 
institution  work  was  too  strong  for  Dr.  Anglin  to  resist,  and  on 
the  retirement  of  Dr.  Manchester,  in  1898,  he  returned  to  his  old' 
position,  but  again  left,  in  1904,  to  accept  the  appointment  of 
medical  superintendent  of  the  Hospital  for  the  Insane  at  St.  Johns, 
N.  B.,  a  position  he  still  holds.  His  successor,  Dr.  C.  A.  Porteous, 
the  present  incumbent  of  the  office,  had  served  as  second  assistant 
during  1901  and  1902,  and,  on  the  retirement  of  Dr.  Anglin,  his 
recognized  merit  led  to  his  being  cabled  for  to  the  West  Coast  of 
Africa,  where  he  was  then  engaged. 

At  the  time  of  writing,  the  institution  comprises  five  separate 
buildings  for  occupancy  by  patients.  These,  in  order  of  erection, 
are  the  original  or  main  buildings,  the  West  House,  the  Infirmary, 
the  East  House,  and  the  North  West  House.  The  main  building, 
three  stories  in  height,  has  a  frontage  of  350  feet,  and  is  built  of 
coursed  gray  Hmestone,  with  cut-stone  trimmings.  It  comprises 
a  central  executive  department,  and  two  wings,  with  rear  exten- 


QUEBEC  323 

sions,  to  accommodate  296  patients.  In  front,  the  former  contains 
on  the  ground  floor  the  various  offices  and  reception  rooms,  above 
which  are  the  assistant  superintendent's  apartments ;  in  rear  it 
embraces  the  dining  rooms  and  kitchen,  with  beneath,  in  the  base- 
ment, the  bakery,  storerooms,  etc.,  and  above  the  assistant  physi- 
cians' and  matron's  quarters ;  while  in  the  upper  story  are  located 
two  large  observation  dormitories,  one  for  men,  the  other  for 
women,  obtained  by  the  reconstruction  of  the  old  amusement  hall. 
Communication  with  the  several  parts  of  the  building  is  obtained 
by  means  of  corridors  radiating  from  a  central  octagonal  well, 
which  extends  unbroken  to  the  roof,  and  is  lighted  by  a  skylight 
the  full  size  of  the  same.  The  West  House  is  a  two-story  red 
brick  building,  125  feet  long,  made  up  of  a  central  portion  con- 
taining quarters  for  an  assistant  medical  officer,  and  ward  dining- 
rooms  ;  and  four  corridors  to  accommodate  104  patients.  The 
infirmary  is  a  two-story  stone  structure,  in  keeping  with  the  main 
edifice,  and  has  a  capacity  of  19  beds,  with  diet  kitchen,  operating, 
and  post  mortem  rooms  attached;  wide,  open  balconies,  with  a 
southern  exposure,  are  provided,  so  that  convalescing  and  even 
bed- ridden  patients  wheeled  to  them  may  enjoy  the  benefit  of  the 
health-giving  breezes  that  sweep  from  the  broad  St.  Lawrence 
across  the  verdant  lawns.  The  East  House  is  a  two-story  brick 
building,  somewhat  similar  in  design  to  the  West  House,  while 
the  North  West  House  is  of  much  the  same  character,  but  three 
stories  in  height.  The  laundry,  engine,  and  boiler-rooms,  and 
space  for  electric  light  plant  are  contained  in  two  detached  brick 
buildings  some  distance  in  rear  of  the  hospital  proper ;  above  them 
rises  the  water-tower,  which  affords  the  requisite  pressure  for  the 
distribution  of  water  over  the  premises.  The  foregoing  with  the 
amusement  hall  and  nurses'  home,  both  detached  structures,  make 
up  the  establishment. 

The  institution  was  originally  heated  and  ventilated  by  what  is 
known  as  the  Smead-Dowd  system,  but  this,  being  unsatisfactory 
as  regarded  its  heating  possibilities,  has  been  replaced  by  steam. 

The  entire  capacity  of  the  establishment  is  about  700,  and  its 
population  at  the  close  of  191 5  was  ^2.6.  Private  as  well  as  public 
cases  are  received,  the  former  at  present  numbering  about  one- 
fourth  of  the  inmates.    From  this  it  will  be  seen  that  the  institution 


324  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

is  again  overcrowded,  but  funds  are  lacking,  at  the  present  time, 
to  increase  the  accommodation. 

The  officers  of  the  corporation  consist  of  a  president,  two  vice- 
presidents,  an  honorary  secretary,  and  an  honorary  treasurer,  who 
are  elected  annually  from  the  board  of  governors.  The  business 
affairs  of  the  establishment  are  conducted  by  a  board  of  manage- 
ment, consisting  of  24  members  in  addition  to  the  officers  of  the 
corporation,  who  are  ex  oMcio  members  thereof.^  Neither  the 
officers  of  the  corporation  nor  the  members  of  the  board  of  man- 
agement receive  any  remuneration  for  their  services ;  neither,  by 
its  by-laws,  can  supplies  for  the  institution  be  purchased  from 
any  of  them.  The  only  paid  official  of  the  corporation  is  the 
secretary  to  the  board  of  management.  In  addition  to  an  annual 
meeting  of  the  corporation,  held  in  February  of  each  year,  the 
board  of  governors  meets  quarterly  to  receive  a  report  on  the 
affairs  of  the  hospital  from  the  board  of  management,  the  meet- 
ings of  which  are  held  fortnightly.  The  quorum  for  the  board  of 
governors  consists  of  ten,  and  that  for  the  board  of  manage- 
ment of  five  members. 

The  medical  staff  of  the  establishment  at  present  consists  of  a 
superintendent,  an  assistant  superintendent,  and  an  assistant  phy- 
sician, who  are  commissioned  and  paid  by  the  government,  though 
nominated  by  the  hospital  corporation;  and  a  second  assistant 
physician  paid  by  the  hospital.  These  officers  all  reside  on  the 
premises.  Over  and  above  their  duties  at  the  asylum,  the  superin- 
tendent and  assistant  superintendent  deHver  lectures  and  give 
clinics  on  mental  diseases,  the  former  at  McGill  University,  the 
latter  at  the  hospital.  There  is  also  a  consulting  staff  composed  of 
a  surgeon,  two  physicians,  a  gynecologist,  two  pathologists,  a 
neurologist,  an  oculist  and  aurist,  an  orthopedist,  a  laryngologist, 

'  The  present  officers  and  board  of  management  are :  President,  I.  H. 
Stearns ;  First  Vice-President,  Alfred  Joyce ;  Second  Vice-President,  John 
McLean ;  Honorary  Treasurer,  James  McBride ;  Honorary  Secretary,  J, 
Alex.  Cameron;  Board  of  Management,  William  Lyall,  Joseph  Allen,  Benj. 
Tooke,  John  Patterson,  James  Sutherland,  Rev.  Dr.  Barclay,  D.  S.  Fried- 
man, Rev.  Hugh  Pedley,  J.  Cradock  Simpson,  Dr.  F.  G.  Finley,  Rev.  E.  I. 
Hart,  Henry  Birks,  His  Lordship  Bishop  Farthing,  Dr.  M.  C.  Baker,  Dr. 
G.  E.  Armstrong,  W.  Mayne  McCombe,  A.  F.  C.  Ross  and  R.  S.  Kinghorn. 


QUEBEC  325 

and  a  surgeon  dentist,  who  have  their  residence  in  the  city,  and 
give  their  services  free  of  charge  to  all  public  cases.* 

The  corporation  in  framing  its  rules,  which  are  concurred  in 
by  the  government,  wisely  decreed  that  the  medical  superintendent 
should  be  ipso  facto  as  well  as  ipso  jure  the  head  of  the  entire 
establishment,  and  as  such  be  responsible  for  the  efficiency  of  all 
departments.  He  is  accordingly  clothed  with  authority  commen- 
surate with  his  responsibility.  In  him  are  vested  all  things  per- 
taining to  discipline,  the  treatment  of  patients  with  regard  to 
medication,  diet  and  hygiene,  and  the  engagement  and  dismissal 
of  all  officers  and  employees. 

As  regards  inspection,  the  hospital  is  subject  to  the  statutory 
visitations  of  the  government  inspectors  and  grand  jury.  In  addi- 
tion, there  is  a  visiting  committee  appointed  by  the  board  of 
management  from  among  the  governors.  This  consists  of  two 
governors  for  each  week  in  the  year,  whose  duty  it  is  to  visit  the 
institution  weekly,  and  report  anything  they  may  deem  necessary 
to  the  board  of  management.  The  average  annual  rate  of  main- 
tenance being  nearly  $200  per  patient,  whereas  the  government 
allowance  is  but  $165,  the  deficit  has  to  be  made  up  from  subscrip- 
tions derived  from  the  charitable  public.  There  is,  besides,  the 
interest  obtained  from  an  endowment  fund  now  amounting  to  over 

^  The  consulting  members  of  the  medical  staflf  are :  George  E.  Armstrong, 
M.  D.,  LL.  D.,  D.  Sc,  Professor  of  Surgery,  McGill  University,  and 
Surgeon  to  the  Royal  Victoria  Hospital;  F.  S.  Finley,  M.  B.  (London), 
M.  D.,  Professor  of  Medicine,  McGill  University,  and  Physician  to  the 
Montreal  General  Hospital;  J.  J.  Ross,  M.  D.;  F.  A.  L,  Lockhart,  M.  B. 
(Edinburgh),  M.  D.,  Associate  Professor  of  Gynaecology,  McGill  Uni- 
versity, and  Gynaecologist  to  the  Montreal  (General  Hospital;  J.  A.  Mac- 
Phail,  B.  A.,  M.  D.,  Professor  of  History  of  Medicine,  McGill  University; 
Joseph  Kaufmann,  M.  D.,  Demonstrator  of  Pathology,  McGill  University, 
and  Associate  in  Medicine  at  the  Royal  Victoria  Hospital ;  D.  A.  Shirres, 
M.  D.  (Aberdeen),  Lecturer  in  Clinical  Neurology,  McGill  University,  and 
Neurologist  to  the  Montreal  General  Hospital;  W.  G.  M.  Byers,  M.  D., 
Lecturer  in  Ophthalmology,  McGill  University,  and  Assistant  Oculist  to 
the  Royal  Victoria  Hospital;  J.  A.  Nutter,  M.  D.,  Demonstrator  of 
Orthopedic  Surgery,  McGill  University,  and  Assistant  Orthopedist  to 
the  Montreal  General  Hospital ;  R.  H.  Craig,  M.  D.,  Lecturer  in  Rhinology 
and  Laryngology,  McGill  University,  and  Assistant  Laryngologist  to  the 
Montreal  General  Hospital ;  J.  S.  Ibbotson,  D.  D.  S.,  Dental  Surgeon  to  the 
Montreal  General  Hospital. 


326  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE  INSANE 

$208,000.  This  fund,  which  is  steadily  increasing,  was  inaugurated 
in  1894  by  Mrs.  John  H.  R.  Molson  with  a  generous  donation  of 
$10,000,  given  to  establish  the  Frederick  Frothingham  Memorial 
Fund  in  memory  of  her  late  brother. 

The  motto  adopted  by  the  earliest  directorate  of  the  hospital 
was  the  acme  of  progress  commensurate  with  the  means  at  their 
command,  and  under  the  regime  of  the  successive  presidents  and 
their  coadjutors  this  motto  has  been  strictly  adhered  to.  The 
constant  aim  of  all  has  been  to  keep  abreast  of  the  times,  and  to 
have  those  connected  with  the  working  of  the  institution  fully 
and  intelligently  conversant  with  the  most  advanced  ideas  of  the 
day,  thus  securing  the  best  results  in  the  case  of  those  confided 
to  their  care. 

From  the  outset  of  the  hospital's  career  it  has  been  the  aim  of 
the  superintendent  to  conduct  it  according  to  the  most  modern 
ideas.  Non-restraint  has  been  the  system  adopted  from  the 
beginning,  and,  conscious  of  the  fact  that  to  avoid  the  use  of 
restraint,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  provide  employment  and 
amusement,  no  effort  has  been  spared  to  make  full  use  of  these 
auxiliaries.  Writing  on  this  point  in  his  annual  report  for  1897, 
he  says: 

A  wise  man  has  wisely  said :  "  If  you  cannot  cure  an  insane  patient,  the 
next  best  thing  is  to  make  him  as  happy  as  possible."  Broadly  speaking, 
the  foundations  of  recovery  in  the  insane,  and,  failing  recovery,  happiness, 
are  in  pleasant  surroundings,  attention  to  physical  comfort,  freedom  as 
far  as  is  compatible  with  safety,  and  the  provision  of  suitable  employment 
and  amusement.  The  old  saying  that  His  Satanic  Majesty  always  finds 
work  for  idle  hands  is  as  applicable  to  the  insane  as  to  the  sane,  and  employ- 
ment, properly  directed,  is  among  the  chief  curative  factors  in  the  treatment 
of  most  forms  of  mental  disorder.  If  it  does  not  cure,  it  at  least  adds 
much  to  health  and  happiness,  and  goes  far  to  lessen  excitement,  noise, 
destructiveness  and  the  necessity  for  restraint. 

In  the  endeavor  to  occupy  patients,  the  amount  of  work  done 
is  not  regarded  as  the  primary  object,  but  rather  how  labor  can 
best  be  made  subservient  to  treatment.  In  other  words,  the  em- 
ployment of  patients  is  looked  upon  not  as  a  means  to  lessen 
expense,  though,  incidentally,  this  can  also  be  generally  accom- 
plished, but  as  a  means  to  benefit  them  by  distracting  their  thoughts 
from  their  troubles,  real  or  imaginary.  Freedom,  so  far  as  com- 
patible with  safety,  has  also  been  made  a  cardinal  principle  in  the 
management  of  the  institution,  and  with  no  untoward  results. 


QUEBEC  327 

ST.  BENEDICT  JOSEPH  ASYLUM. 

This  institution,  St.  Benedict  Joseph  Asylum,  is  essentially 
the  child  of  a  religious  monastic  order,  the  Congregation  of  the 
Brothers  of  Charity;  having  been  founded  by  them  in  1885  and 
fostered  by  their  care  during  the  30  years  of  its  existence.  No 
sketch  of  its  establishment  and  aims  would  be  in  any  sense  com- 
plete without  some  description,  brief  though  it  be,  of  the  parent 
body,  and  how,  like  many  another  charitable  organization,  it  grew 
through  the  years  from  littleness  to  greatness. 

From  a  historical  resume  of  the  asylum's  history,*  which  is 
freely  quoted  in  the  present  article,  we  learn  that  the  Congrega- 
tion of  the  Brothers  of  Charity  was  established  as  the  direct  out- 
come of  efforts  on  the  part  of  a  noted  Belgian  divine,  the  Rev. 
P.  J.  Triest,  titular  canon  of  St.  Bavon  in  Ghent.  His  desire  was 
to  alleviate  in  some  measure  by  organized  charity  the  sufferings  of 
the  civil  population  of  Belgium,  his  object  being  achieved  in  1807. 
This  unhappy  country,  harried  and  devastated  as  it  had  been  by  the 
French  following  the  Revolution,  was  invaded  by  them  in  1792 
and  knew  naught  but  travail  of  both  body  and  spirit  until  a  con- 
cordat was  signed  between  Pope  Pius  VII  and  Napoleon  in  1801. 

From  its  modest  origin  in  1807,  the  order  has  had  a  history  of 
unqualified  success  for  over  a  century,  and  in  1907  had  opened 
numerous  refuges  for  the  care  of  sufferers  from  ailments  both 
physical  and  mental,  and  had  formed  many  educational  institutions 
for  Catholic  boys  and  youths.  In  this  year  (1907)  the  establish- 
ments numbered  no  less  than  44,  directed  by  staffs  aggregating 
nearly  1000,  all  members  of  the  order.  The  figures  representing 
those  who  benefit  by  its  efficient  supervision  are  very  large,  and 
include  some  9000  boys  and  youths,  chiefly  from  families  in  poor 
circumstances,  450  deaf  mutes  and  blind,  450  juvenile  delinquents, 
1000  defectives  of  tender  years,  while  800  aged  men  and  over 
6000  insane  patients  are  beholden  to  this  charitable  body  for  their 
care  and  treatment.  The  educational  department  gives  instruction 
to  over  1600  pupils  in  the  various  boarding  schools. 

The  activities  of  the  congregation  are  widespread,  and,  though 
of  Belgian  origin,  it  has  extended  its  work  to  England,  Ireland, 
Canada  and  the  United  States. 

^A  sketch,  "St.  Benedict  Joseph  Asylum  for  the  Insane,  Epileptic,  Dis- 
somaniac,  etc.,  Founded  and  Managed  by  the  Brothers  of  Charity  (Longue 
Pointe,  near  Montreal,  Canada),"  kindly  furnished  by  Rev.  Brother  Casimir. 


328  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

As  explanatory  of  its  truly  commendable  record,  its  growth 
from  small  beginnings,  its  religious  tone  and  its  discipline,  no 
excuse  is  necessary  for  the  following  extracts  verbatim  from  the 
historical  sketch  to  which  reference  has  previously  been  made; 
the  diction  alone,  with  its<  flavor  of  quaintness,  renders  it  worth 
the  reading : 

And  do  not  ask  where  they  found  the  money,  the  men,  the  brains,  the 
lands  and  material  to  create  and  maintain  all  these  flourishing  institutions ; 
it  is  a  mystery  the  writer  of  these  actual  notes  is  unable  to  solve,  unless 
we  agree  together  that  God  himself  has  taken  the  whole  congregation 
under  His  immediate  protection  and  means  to  use  it  as  an  international 
instrument  of  salvation  and  mercy. 

Do  not  even  ask  whether,  in  the  coming  day  of  judgment,  thousands  of 
these  anonymous  Brothers  who,  during  a  century  already,  have  so  splen- 
didly— and  silently — spent  their  heart  and  youth  and  life  for  charity's 
sake,  will  or  will  not  raise  and  stand  against  hundreds  and  thousands  of 
millionaires  into  the  hands  of  whom  millions  were  a  curse  and  an  instru- 
ment of  perdition ;  for  this  is  the  secret  of  God,  and  He  alone  knows  the 
day,  the  way — and  the  sentence. 

Let  us  merely  have,  on  the  sly,  a  look  over  the  actual  constitution  of  the 
congregation  we  are  analyzing  in  order  to  draw  some  few  instructive  and 
practical  conclusions  from  our  enquete,  as  science  itself  has  a  social  value 
in  the  only  measure  that  it  can  express  itself  by  practical  results  and 
applications. 

In  the  special  domain,  we  may  condense  our  observations  in  very  few 
words,  as  the  strength  and  wonderful  vitality  of  the  congregation  stand  on 
a  treble  basis : 

(a)  Unity,  practicability  and  immutability  of  aim  :  Charity. 

(b)  Unity  of  commandment. 

(c)  Passive  obedience  of  every  subordinate  to  the  only  general  superior, 

be  that  subordinate  an  assistant  general  superior  or  a  juvenist. 
And  that's  all — ^because  it's  enough. 

And  to  subscribe  to  this  last  conclusion,  one  needs  only  to  know  what 
is  meant  amongst  Catholic  monks,  friars  and  nuns,  by  the  vow  of  obedience. 

Once  more,  we  have  nothing  to  do  actually  with  theological  and  denomi- 
national appreciations;  these  notes  are  exclusively  written  at  a  technical 
point  of  view,  in  order  to  show  to  specialists  in  medico-psychological 
sciences,  whether  they  be  Catholic  or  Protestant,  Methodist  or  Anglican, 
Agnostic  or  Hebrew,  Buddhist  or  Mohammedan,  how  it  happens  and  has 
happened  that,  without  a  dollar  of  initial  capital,  without  any  political 
and  social  influence,  credit  or  official  encouragement,  and  in  spite  of  the 
almighty  (European)  Revolution  and  revolutionist,  indiff'erent  or  antipa- 
thetic governments  of  the  last  century,  a  poor  little  congregation  of  anony- 
mous and  unknown  Catholic  Brothers  of  Charity  has  comparatively  done 
more  in  a  hundred  years  for  the  systematical  bettering  of  the  insane's 


QUEBEC  329 

condition,  for  promoting  the  welfare  of  the  poor  and  unfortunate,  for 
saving  children  and  youths  from  vice  and  perdition,  for  sheltering,  edu- 
cating, helping  or  treating  orphans,  destitute  boys,  epileptics,  workers, 
people  of  all  conditions  addicted  to  alcohol,  morphia,  cocain,  opium,  etc., 
and  for  relieving  old  folks,  invalids,  paralytics,  incurable  and  homeless 
patients  than  the  whole  State  of  New  York,  for  instance,  has  been  able 
to  realize  in  the  same  lines  since  the  arrival  of  the  Pilgrims  in  the  New 
World,  notwithstanding  all  the  millions  and  hundreds  of  millions  that 
said  state,  together  with  individual  philanthropists,  have  been  throwing 
away  in  order  to  organize  social  works  and  benevolent  institutions,  refuges, 
hospitals,  sanitariums  and  insane  asylums. 

Let  us  therefore  give  a  succinct  definition  of  that  special  vow  of 
obedience  upon  which  stands  the  superhuman  strength  and  undeniable 
excellency  of  such  reUgious  institutions  as  the  Congregation  of  the  Brothers 
of  Charity,  and  let  us  hope  that  such  definition  will  help  the  reader  to  make 
out  what  should  be  done,  not  only  in  America,  but  all  over  the  wide  world, 
in  order  to  reorganize  public,  national  and  social  assistance  upon  a 
rational  basis,  by  providing  the  medical  profession  and  more  especially 
specialists  in  psychiatry  and  superintendents  of  sanitariums,  hospitals  and 
insane  asylums,  with  staffs  of  attendants  and  infirmarians,  subordinate 
helpers  and  interns  upon  the  indefatigable  devotion  and  specifical  knowl- 
edge, conscientiousness,  discretion  and  loyalty  of  whom  they  could  rely 
in  any  possible  circumstances  and  emergencies,  and,  above  all,  by  complet- 
ing that  stupendous  reform  in  such  a  scientifical  wise  that  every  dollar  and 
cent  voted  down  by  commonwealths  or  by  individuals  for  charitable  pur- 
poses, would  in  the  future  reach  integrally  their  full  destiny. 

But  as  it  is,  we  deem  it  sufficient  to  prove  that,  with  a  personnel  of 
infirmarians,  helpers  and  attendants  trained  to  obedience  according  to 
such  principles,  motives  and  convictions,  the  superintendent  and  medical 
bureau  of  any  asylum,  hospital  or  sanitarium  may  feel  in  full  security. 
And  by  the  same  way,  the  worrying  problem  of  salary  and  wages  is  settled 
once  for  ever,  since  the  Friar,  Sister  or  Brother  of  Charity  never  can 
expect  nor  ask  a  nickel  for  the  work  and  overwork  of  their  whole  life. 
They  labor  for  God  and  for  nobody  else — and  they  rely  upon  nobody  else 
but  God  to  settle  the  bill.  When  they  join  the  congregation,  they  receive, 
frequently  once  for  all,  a  cagoule,  a  cassock  or  a  rough  uniform  into 
which  they  will  live,  and  die,  and  be  buried ;  they  will  also  require  five  or 
six  pairs  of  heavy  shoes  and  as  many  sets  of  coarse-grained  underwear 
for  their  whole  lifetime,  and  that's  all ! 

As  to  the  grub,  their  vows  of  poverty  and  obedience  oblige  them  to  be 
satisfied  with  any  foodstuff  and  eatables  that  their  superior  will  present 
them  with ;  and  here  also,  that's  all. 

And  there  you  are,  dear  Doctor,  with  the  kind  of  aid  and  attendant 
you  were  looking  for. 

He  is  told  to  scrub  the  floor :  he'll  scrub  the  floor ;  told  to  remain  in  the 
kitchen  and  peel  potatoes  for  months  and  years :  he'll  peel  potatoes  for 
months  and  years ;  told  to  take  charge  of  a  ward  of  epileptics  or  idiots 


330  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

and  to  comply  verbatim  with  all  the  instructions  of  the  visiting  doctor: 
he'll  take  charge  and  comply  verbatim,  even  if  the  doctor  orders  him  to  do 
some  overtime  or  to  get  up  every  other  hour  during  the  night  to  attend 
to  a  special  patient. 

And  if  ever  something  unforeseen  happens  while  the  doctor  is  absent 
and  out  of  telephone  reach,  such  an  attendant  will  not  fold  his  arms  and 
wait  for  positive  instructions ;  he  will  say  and  has  to  say  to  himself : 
I  am  ordered  to  obey  the  doctor  in  every  one  of  his  prescriptions.  Now, 
in  this  actual  emergency  the  doctor,  were  he  here,  would  order  me  to  do 
such  and  such  a  thing.  Therefore  I  must  actually  do  such  and  such  a 
thing  in  the  very  same  wise  as  if  the  doctor  were  here — and  then  report. 
And  he  does  it,  and  then  reports.    And  that's  all. 

And  such  is  the  technical  reason  why  the  Brothers  of  Charity,  in  the 
very  first  century  of  their  congregational  existence,  and  in  spite  of  manifold 
vicissitudes,  and  opposition,  and  drawbacks,  and  hardships,  are  nowaday 
proprietors  and  managers  of  so  numerous  and  various  institutions  in 
Belgium,  British  Isles,  Holland  and  North  America;  and  the  reason  why 
they  are  able  to  do  so  much  for  the  welfare  of  mankind,  for  the  scientifical 
treatment  of  nervous  and  mental  diseases,  and  for  the  redemption,  protec- 
tion, salvation  and  consolation  of  so  many  thousands  of  homeless  invalids, 
children  and  orphans :  they  obey — and  that's  all.  Their  only  aim  on  earth 
is  charity — and  that's  all.  And  in  so  far  as  the  technical  treatment  of 
insane,  epileptic,  dipsomaniac,  etc.,  is  concerned,  charity,  for  them,  assumes 
the  special  signification  of  providing,  practically  without  cost,  the  medical 
profession  and  superintendents  in  charge  of  hospitals,  sanitariums,  asylums, 
etc.,  with  thoroughly  trained  helpers  and  all-round  reliable  attendants — 
and  that's  all. 

And  first  of  all  and  above  all,  the  superior  general  of  the  whole  congre- 
gation is  one — and  here,  more  than  ever,  that's  all. 

Now,  we  foresee  that  someone,  here,  would  probably  say  to  his  own  self : 
How  great  and  even  formidable  must  be  the  manifold  responsibilities  of 
such  a  general  superior !  And  this  also  would  be  a  mistake.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  that  general  superior  himself  has  nothing  else  to  do  but  to  obey, 
as  every  one  of  his  thousand  brothers  do  obey.  And  whom  is  he  bound  to 
obey?  In  his  actual  capacity  of  general  superior,  and  abstraction  being 
made  of  his  normal  submission  to  the  Catholic  hierarchy,  he  is  bound  to 
obey  nobody,  as  otherwise  he  would  not  be  the  general  superior. 

But  in  his  actual  capacity  of  a  Brother  of  Charity,  he  is  nevertheless 
bound  to  obey,  if  not  someone,  at  least  something — and  this  "  something  " 
is  the  organical  constitution  of  his  congregation.  And  that  constitution 
itself  is  enclosed  and  summed  up  into  one  word,  and  that  word  is  Charity — 
and  that's  all. 

The  St.  Joseph  Benedict  Asylum,  granted  provincial  charter 
on  December  lo,  1885,  is  situated  some  three  or  four  miles  east 
of  the  City  of  Montreal,  having  the  villages  of  Longue  Pointe 
and  Pointe-aux-Trembles  on  either  hand.    Its  nearness  to  the  St. 


1 

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s 

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^\    I'Si  ^^  EM   a  ,^        '^S^ 


27 


QUEBEC  331 

Lawrence  River,  on  the  north  bank  of  which  it  stands,  serves  to 
invest  the  scenic  surroundings  with  great  beauty ;  and  the  wooded 
islands  of  St.  Helen  and  Grosbois  in  the  near  distance,  the  Beloeil 
and  St.  Bruno  mountains  in  perspective  on  the  southern  bank  of  the 
river,  form  a  splendid  picture. 

The  building  itself  is  three  stories  in  height  with  dormer  roofs 
and  consists  of  a  central  portion,  with  two  large  wings,  each 
springing  at  right  angles  from  it,  and  forming  as  it  were  one 
end  and  two  sides  of  a  rectangle ;  paralleling  these  wings  at  a 
short  distance  on  the  east  is  another  building  of  the  same  length 
and  of  similar  general  construction,  connected  with  the  main 
portion  by  a  covered  passageway.  The  institution  is  built  of  stone 
and  brick  and  comfortably  furnished,  a  feature  being  made  of 
individual  rooms ;  it  is  sufficiently  commodious  to  permit  of  excel- 
lent classification  sectionally,  depending  on  the  type  of  case,  the 
alcoholic,  epileptic  and  psychiatric  patients  each  having  separate 
administration  and  accommodation  according  to  the  group  in 
which  they  fall.  The  grounds  are  extensive  and  are  well  laid  out 
with  trees,  shrubs  and  flower  beds,  the  imprint  of  Belgian  skill  at 
gardening  manifesting  itself  even  in  the  harsher  climatic  conditions 
of  Canada. 

The  medical  affairs  of  the  hospital  are  under  the  general  direc- 
tion of  Dr.  Geo.  Villeneuve,  medical  superintendent  of  the  St.  Jean 
de  Dieu  Hospital  for  Insane,  Longue  Pointe,  and  Dr.  J.  P. 
Deschatelets,  who  acts  as  visiting  physician.  Modem  ideas  of 
treatment  and  medical  management  prevail,  including  recreation 
and  occupational  aids.  The  percentage  of  recoveries  among  the 
curable  types  averages  well  up  when  compared  with  the  figures  of 
like  establishments  elsewhere. 

The  economic  side,  as  distinct  from  the  medical  side  of  the 
administration,  is  entirely  in  the  hands  of  the  Brothers  of  Charity, 
and,  as  ever  when  duty  and  obedience  go  hand  in  hand,  under 
intelligent  and  wise  supervision,  the  result  is  efficient  manage- 
ment. 

At  the  close  of  1913  there  were  32  alcoholics  and  78  insane, 
including  epileptics,  in  the  wards  of  the  Retreat. 


332  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 


THE  CARE  OF  THE  INSANE  IN  NEWFOUNDLAND 

Newfoundland,  being  a  crown  colony,  does  not  properly  come 
within  the  scope  of  a  history  dealing  with  the  care  of  the  insane 
in  Canada. 

The  establishment  of  the  Asylum  for  the  Insane  at  St.  John's 
was  due  to  the  efforts  of  Dr.  Henry  Hunt  Stabb,^  who  settled  in 
the  colony  about  the  year  1840.  He  found  at  St.  John's  about  six 
males,  called  maniacs,  occupying  the  basement  cells  of  the  old 
Fever  Hospital ;  they  were  chained  to  benches  and  walls,  with 
straw  for  bedding,  and  their  food  was  passed  to  them  by  means 
of  tins  tied  to  the  end  of  long  poles.  Dr.  Stabb  began  an  agitation 
in  favor  of  better  housing  and  treatment  for  these  poor  sufferers, 
and  after  repeated  efforts  induced  the  government  to  lease  a  small 
cottage,  called  "  Palks,"  on  the  Waterford  Bridge  Road.  Ten 
patients  were  removed  to  this  building  and  Dr.  Stabb  became  the 
attending  physician. 

In  the  year  1848  several  residents  of  St.  John's  promised  dona- 
tions provided  the  government  would  build  a  proper  asylum  Miss 
Dix,  who  visited  St.  John's  that  year,  offered  a  donation  of  iioo, 
and  took  great  interest  in  the  work,  collecting  other  subscriptions 
from  abroad.  In  the  end  the  government,  at  the  earnest  solicita- 
tion of  the  Governor,  Sir  G.  De.  Marchand,  consented  to  the  erec- 
tion of  an  asylum  and  appointed  Dr.  Stabb  to  visit  the  various 
continental  and  English  institutions  for  the  purpose  of  studying 
their  methods  of  management. 

The  foundation  stone  of  the  present  asylum  was  laid  in  1853. 
The  building  then  consisted  of  a  central  block  for  physicians' 
residence,  kitchens,  engine-rooms,  etc.,  and  a  west  wing  attached 
to  the  center  building,  containing  a  lower  ward  for  the  males, 
an  upper  ward  for  the  females,  and  an  attic  for  males.  The 
capacity  of  this  building  was  45  males  and  30  females.  It  was 
finished  and  occupied  in  1855. 

In  1863  it  was  found  necessary  to  build  an  east  wing,  correspond- 
ing to  the  west  wing,  and  accommodating  60  beds.  This  was 
occupied  by  all  the  female  patients. 

*  See  Biography,  volume  IV. 


NEWFOUNDLAND  333 

In  1873-1876  two  additional  wings  were  erected  in  order  to 
provide  for  the  noisy  and  violent  classes  of  patients.  These  wings 
accommodated  80  patients. 

The  asylum  stands  upon  an  elevation  at  a  junction  of  two  rivers, 
one  of  which  flows  through  the  property.  The  water  supply  is 
brought  from  Mondy's  Pond,  a  distance  of  two  miles,  by  means  of 
stone  pipes. 

Dr.  Stabb  continued  as  superintendent  until  1889,  when  declin- 
ing health  caused  his  retirement.  He  died  on  the  17th  of  May, 
1892.  The  present  superintendent  is  Dr.  John  George  Duncan, 
and  the  capacity  of  the  asylum  in  1914  was  270  beds. 

The  asylum  is  under  the  control  of  a  board  of  commissioners, 
appointed  by  the  Governor  in  Council,  consisting  of  three  persons, 
one  a  duly  qualified  medical  practitioner.  They  are  required  to 
visit  the  asylum  at  least  twice  in  each  year,  and  to  make  a  report 
annually  to  the  Governor  in  Council  regarding  the  condition  and 
management  of  the  asylum. 


PART  V 

BIOGRAPHIES  IN  THE 
UNITED  STATES 


DR.  GEORGE  S.  ADAMS. 

Dr.  George  S.  Adams,  former  superintendent  of  Westborough 
State  Hospital,  Massachusetts,  died  at  Stamford,  Conn.,  on  March 
i6,  1913.  He  had  been  ill  with  influenza  for  three  days  when  an 
exacerbation  of  an  old  nephritis  resulted  in  a  rapidly  fatal  ursemic 
coma. 

He  was  born  of  Scottish  parentage  at  Norwich,  Conn.,  February 
7,  1848. 

Beginning  life  as  a  machinist,  he  educated  himself  by  wide 
reading  and  through  night  schools.  At  the  age  ot  28,  in  1876, 
he  graduated  from  Hahnemann  Medical  College,  Philadelphia. 
He  later  engaged  in  general  practice  in  Massachusetts  for  ten 
years. 

In  1886  he  was  appointed  an  assistant  physician  at  Westborough, 
coincident  with  the  opening  of  the  hospital,  and  five  years  later, 
on  the  resignation  of  Dr.  N.  Emmons  Paine,  he  became  superin- 
tendent. During  the  following  20  years  he  administered  the 
hospital  with  ability,  and  his  long  and  worthy  service  was  most 
creditable.  He  resigned  in  May,  1912,  to  become  medical  director 
of  a  sanatorium  at  Stamford,  Conn. 

For  20  years  he  was  also  a  lecturer  on  clinical  psychiatry  at 
Boston  University,  a  record  all  the  more  noteworthy  when  one 
remembers  how  limited  had  been  his  early  school  training. 

He  was  an  executive  of  acknowledged  ability,  and  an  able  and 
kind-hearted  physician,  deeply  interested  in  whatever  made  for 
progress  in  medicine ;  resourceful,  stimulating  to  his  co-workers 
and  beloved  by  his  patients. 

DR.  GEORGE  ALLEN. 

Dr.  George  Allen  died  at  Gowanda,  N.  Y.,  on  the  14th  of 
November,  1897,  at  the  early  age  of  44  years.  In  that  brief  time 
he  had  made  an  enviable  record  as  a  man,  a  citizen,  a  scholar,  a 
physician  and  a  psychologist.  Honesty  and  sincerity  of  purpose 
and  a  contempt  of  shams  were  his  leading  personal  characteristics. 


338  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

He  was  quiet  to  the  degree  of  reticence  and  one  of  the  few  men 
in  the  world  who  do  not  talk  enough. 

He  was  born  in  Poultney,  Vt.,  and  educated  at  Rochester 
University  and  at  Hahnemann  Medical  College  in  Philadelphia. 
After  he  graduated  he  was  an  interne  at  Ward's  Island  Homeo- 
pathic Hospital  in  New  York  City,  in  which  were  two  wards  de- 
voted to  the  chronic  insane,  who  had  been  transferred  from  the 
city  asylum  to  relieve  its  overcrowded  condition.  He  was  espe- 
cially interested  in  these  mental  invalids,  and  spent  much  time  in 
studying  the  various  conditions  of  mental  aberration.  Subse- 
quently he  removed  to  Waterville,  N.  Y.,  and  engaged  in  the 
general  practice  of  medicine  for  more  than  11  years.  Being  ap- 
pointed in  1890  first  assistant  physician  at  the  Middletown  State 
Homeopathic  Hospital,  he  served  there  very  efficiently  for  seven 
years. 

He  wrote  careful,  interesting  and  exhaustive  papers  upon 
"  Circular  Insanity,"  "  Paranoia,"  "  Some  Statistical  Facts  Con- 
cerning Insanit}'-,"  and  "  Phthisis  Among  the  Insane."  He  also 
contributed  other  brief  and  thoughtful  articles  to  various  medical 
journals  throughout  the  country. 

In  May,  1897,  Dr.  Allen  became  superintendent  of  the  Gowanda 
State  Homeopathic  Hospital,  at  Collins,  N.  Y.,  but  after  a  brief 
service  his  health  failed,  and  he  died  in  November  of  the  same 
year. 

DR.  HENRY  E.  ALLISON. 

Henry  E.  Allison,  M.  D.,  was  born  December  i,  1851,  at  Con- 
cord, N.  H.  He  received  his  preliminary  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  city,  later  attending  Kimball  Union  Academy 
at  Meriden,  N.  H.,  where  he  graduated  in  1871.  In  the  same  year 
he  entered  the  classical  department  of  Dartmouth  College,  where 
he  graduated  with  honors  in  1875.  After  graduation  he  taught 
in  the  high  school  of  Hillsborough  Bridge,  N.  H.,  and  during  the 
following  year  attended  the  course  of  lectures  at  Dartmouth 
Medical  College,  where  in  June,  1878,  he  received  the  degree  of 
M.  D.  In  August  he  became  an  assistant  physician  at  the  Willard 
Asylum,  New  York,  an  institution  then  containing  some  1200 
patients.  He  remained  in  charge  of  various  medical  departments 
of  the  service  until  March,  1883,  when  he  resigned  to  pursue  a 


DR.  GEORGE  S.  ADAMS. 


BIOGEIAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED    STATES  339 

post-graduate  course  at  the  New  York  Polyclinic.  He  then  entered 
upon  the  general  practice  of  medicine  at  Waterloo,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  remained  some  14  months,  meeting  with  excellent  success. 
At  the  urgent  request  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Willard 
Asylum  he  returned  in  1884  to  that  institution  as  first  assistant 
physician,  after  passing  the  state  civil  service  examination.  On 
July  I,  1889,  he  was  appointed  medical  superintendent  of  the  State 
Asylum  for  Insane  Criminals  at  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  which  at  that 
time  contained  219  patients.  By  virtue  of  this  office  he  also  be- 
came, by  statute,  a  member  of  the  commission  created  by  the 
Legislature  to  erect  a  new  asylum  for  insane  criminals  at  Mat- 
teawan,  Dutchess  County,  to  which  upon  its  completion  the  in- 
mates of  the  old  Auburn  Asylum  were  transferred  on  April  25, 
1892.  He  became  medical  superintendent  and  treasurer  of  this 
institution,  now  known  as  the  Matteawan  State  Hospital.  The 
total  cost  of  the  buildings  and  grounds  was  in  the  neighborhood 
of  $900,000;  the  hospital  has  accommodations  for  550  patients. 

Dr.  Allison  was  elected  president  of  the  Seneca  County  Medi- 
cal Society  in  1886;  president  of  the  Seneca  County  Medical 
Association ;  a  member  of  the  Dutchess  County  Medical  Society, 
of  the  Newburgh  Bay  Medical  Society  and  of  the  American 
Medico-Psychological  Association,  and  an  honorary  member  of 
La  Societe  de  Medecine  Mentale  of  Belgium. 

On  October  8,  1884,  he  married  Miss  Anna  M.  DePuy,  of 
Kingston,  N.  Y.  On  February  24,  1889,  ^^  Ovid,  N.  Y.,  he 
united  with  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  later  became  a  member 
and  elder  of  the  First  Reformed  Dutch  Church  at  Fishkill  Land- 
ing, N.  Y. 

On  November  12,  1904,  his  friends  were  astonished  to  learn 
of  his  death,  after  having  been  confined  to  his  bed  for  three 
weeks  with  nephritis.  Always  modest,  and  even  diffident,  he 
had  given  no  sign  of  the  burden  he  carried.  The  vexations  and 
anxieties  of  his  administration  he  confided  to  none,  and  none 
suspected  the  insidious  undermining  of  his  strength.  He  or- 
ganized and  developed  the  Matteawan  State  Hospital.  His  pa- 
tience, his  attention  to  detail,  his  conscientiousness,  had  been 
severely  taxed,  and  he  was  unable  to  resist  the  more  or  less  acute 
disease  which  terminated  his  life. 

28 


340  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE  OF   THE   INSANE 

He  inspired  the  confidence  of  acquaintances  and  the  affection 
of  his  friends.  The  genial  side  of  his  nature  was  shown  in 
his  relations  with  children,  whom  he  always  attracted.  He  pos- 
sessed the  rare  faculty  of  never  offending  and  of  never  sacrificing 
his  principles.  In  the  many  contributions  made  by  Dr.  Allison 
to  the  special  departments  of  mental  medicine  and  sociology  and 
in  his  wise  organization  of  the  State  Hospital  at  Matteawan,  he 
left  a  record  of  a  well-spent  life,  which  deserves  a  proper  and 
lasting  memorial. 

DR.  JUDSON  BOARDMAN  ANDREWS. 

Judson  Boardman  Andrews  was  born  in  North  Haven,  Conn., 
April  25,  1834.  His  preparatory  education  was  received  at  the 
Hopkins  Grammar  School  of  New  Haven,  from  which  he  entered 
Yale  College  and  graduated  A.  B.  1855  and  A.  M.  1858.  After 
graduation  he  taught  school  until  he  began  the  study  of  medicine 
at  Jefferson  Medical  College  in  Philadelphia  in  1857.  At  the  close 
of  the  lecture  course  he  resumed  teaching  in  Saratoga  County, 
N.  Y.,  and  was  thus  engaged  at  the  opening  of  the  war. 

In  the  spring  of  1861  he  joined  a  company  of  zouaves  which 
had  been  organized  and  drilled  by  Colonel  Ellsworth.  The  death 
of  this  officer,  whose  family  resided  in  Mechanicsville,  where  he 
was  teaching,  aroused  his  patriotic  ardor.  He  enlisted  in  the  77th 
Regiment,  New  York  Volunteers,  which  was  recruited  in  Sara- 
toga County,  and  was  elected  captain  of  a  company.  The  regiment 
was  assigned  to  Franklin's  Corps  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
and  took  part  in  the  Peninsula  campaign  against  Richmond,  par- 
ticipating in  the  siege  of  Yorktown,  the  battles  of  Williamsburg, 
Mechanicsville,  Savage  Station,  White  Oak  Swamp  and  Malvern 
Hill.  After  the  retreat  to  Harrison's  Landing  in  July,  1862,  he 
resigned  his  commission  on  account  of  ill  health,  and  returned  to 
New  Haven,  where  he  completed  his  medical  studies  and  gradu- 
ated from  the  Yale  Medical  School  in  February,  1863. 

To  fit  himself  for  army  service  he  entered  the  Germantown 
Hospital,  Philadelphia,  as  medical  cadet,  and  in  July  was  com- 
missioned assistant  surgeon  and  assigned  to  the  19th  Connecticut 
Volunteers,  on  duty  in  the  fortifications  about  Alexandria,  Va. 
When  the  regiment  was  subsequently  changed  from  infantry  to 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  34I 

heavy  artillery,  it  was  designated  the  2d  Connecticut  Volunteer 
Artillery  and  was  assigned  to  the  6th  Army  Corps,  with  which  it 
served  during  the  war.  It  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor, 
in  which  it  lost  129  men  killed  and  mortally  wounded.  This  gave 
it  the  first  place  among  regiments  of  the  Union  Army  in  members 
killed  in  any  single  engagement,  while  its  losses  in  killed  during 
the  war  (254)  make  its  record  a  notable  one. 

In  July,  1864,  the  6th  Corps,  to  which  it  belonged,  was  sent 
to  the  defense  of  Washington  and  to  the  Shenandoah  Valley 
under  Sheridan,  where  it  was  engaged  in  the  battles  of  Winches- 
ter, Fisher's  Hill  and  Cedar  Creek.  In  the  following  December 
it  returned  to  Petersburg  and  fought  at  Hatcher's  Run  and  at 
Little  Sailor's  Creek,  and  was  present  at  the  surrender  at  Appo- 
mattox. During  this  active,  service  Dr.  Andrews  followed  the 
fortunes  of  the  regiment,  doing  duty  on  the  field  in  immediate 
care  of  the  wounded  and  in  the  hospital  of  the  division. 

In  1867  he  was  appointed  third  assistant  physician  in  the  New 
York  State  Lunatic  Asylum  at  Utica,  under  the  charge  of  Dr. 
John  P.  Gray.  In  1871  he  became  first  assistant,  and  continued 
in  this  position  until  1880,  when,  on  the  opening  of  the  Buffalo 
State  Hospital,  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  that  insti- 
tution, a  position  which  he  held  until  his  death. 

On  becoming  a  resident  of  Buffalo  Dr.  Andrews  was  made 
lecturer  on  insanity  in  the  Buffalo  Medical  College  and  later  was 
elected  professor  of  psychological  medicine. 

In  1886  he  was  elected  president  of  the  Erie  County  Medical 
Society.  On  coming  to  Utica  he  was  made  a  member  of  the 
Oneida  County  Medical  Society,  and  in  1874  he  was  elected  a  per- 
manent member  of  the  New  York  State  Medical  Society.  He 
was  one  of  the  founders  and  one  of  the  most  prominent  members 
of  the  New  York  Medical  Association,  and  was  president  of  that 
organization  in  1892.  He  was  president  of  the  section  of  Psycho- 
logical Medicine  and  Nervous  Diseases  of  the  Ninth  International 
Congress,  held  in  Washington  in  1887,  and  in  1892  was  elected 
the  first  president  of  the  American  Medico-Psychological  Asso- 
ciation, formerly  the  Association  of  Medical  Superintendents  of 
American  Institutions  for  the  Insane.  During  his  professional 
career  he  was  a  frequent  contributor  of  papers  to  medical  societies 
and  journals.     He  was  for  ten  years  an  associate  editor  of  the 


342  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

American  Journal  of  Insanity  and  wrote  extensively  for  its 
columns.  His  articles  on  "  Phosphoric  Acid  "  and  "Chloral" 
were  frequently  quoted  by  medical  journals  and  by  writers  on 
materia  medica  and  practice  at  home  and  abroad. 

Dr.  Andrews  was  an  advocate  of  state  care  for  the  insane,  and 
aided  materially  in  establishing  the  system.  In  the  Buffalo  hos- 
pital he  inaugurated  and  carried  to  a  successful  issue  the  train- 
ing of  attendants  as  nurses  upon  the  insane.  As  one  of  the  pio- 
neers of  this  important  movement  the  Buffalo  school  furnished 
an  impetus  to,  and  served  to  popularize,  the  systematic  training 
of  nurses  for  the  insane  in  the  United  States.  Dr.  Andrews 
was  an  able,  active,  energetic  worker  in  his  chosen  field  of  labor, 
and  the  success  of  his  career  as  a  practical  alienist  was  fully 
attested  by  the  history  of  the  Buffalo  State  Hospital  and  his  en- 
viable record  at  Utica.  He  died  in  July,  1894,  after  an  illness  of 
more  than  a  year. 

DR.  WILLIAM  MACLAY  AAVL. 

William  Maclay  Awl's  parents  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  both  of  English  descent.  He  was  born  May  24,  1799,  and 
began  to  study  medicine  in  1817  in  Harrisburg  under  Dr.  Samuel 
Agnew,  and  entered  the  medical  department  of  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania  in  1819,  but  did  not  obtain  a  degree.  In  1834 
he  received  an  honorary  degree  of  M.  D.  from  Jefferson  Medical 
College,  and  in  1837  a  like  honor  from  the  Medical  College  of 
Ohio  at  Cincinnati. 

During  the  first  year  of  his  practice  his  attention  was  directed 
especially  to  surgery,  but,  becoming  interested  in  insanity,  he 
abandoned  surgery  and  devoted  the  remainder  of  his  life  to  its 
study.  In  1826  he  came  on  foot,  carrying  a  knapsack,  from  Har- 
risburg, Pa.,  to  Lancaster,  Ohio.  From  Lancaster  he  removed 
to  Lithopolis,  in  the  same  county,  thence  to  Somerset,  Ohio,  and 
finally,  in  1833,  to  Columbus,  where  he  lived  (with  the  exception 
of  two  years  at  Dayton,  Ohio)  until  1876. 

He  was  tall  and  slender,  well  proportioned  and  vigorous,  with 
a  fair  complexion,  red,  or  auburn  hair,  and  blue  eyes.  Owing  to 
an  accident  sustained  in  early  life,  he  had  persistent  choreiform 
contractions  of  the  sterno-mastoid  muscles  of  the  left  side,  which 
gave  him  an  appearance  of  restlessness  which  did  not  exist. 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE    UNITED    STATES  343 

He  was  a  fine  anatomist,  and  in  the  early  part  of  his  career 
incHned  to  surgery.  In  1827,  as  preliminary  (for  safety)  to  the 
removal  of  a  "  tumor,  hard  and  irregular  in  form,  cartilaginous 
in  structure,  from  the  neck  of  a  little  girl,  he  tied  the  left  common 
carotid  artery,  the  first  time  the  carotid  artery  had  been  tied 
west  of  the  mountains,  and  the  fourth  in  the  United  States." 
The  patient  made  an  uneventful  recovery,  and  the  case  was  re- 
ported by  the  operator  in  the  Western  Medical  and  Physical 
Journal. 

In  1835  Drs.  Daniel  Drake  and  Awl  and  other  prominent  mem- 
bers of  the  profession  assembled  in  Columbus  upon  January  5,  and 
founded  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Society,  under  the  name  of  the 
Ohio  Medical  Convention. 

This  medical  convention,  which  met  in  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  discussed  the  propriety  of  establishing  a  hospital  for 
the  care  of  the  insane  and  a  school  for  the  education  of  the  blind, 
and  sent  a  memorial,  embodying  their  discussions,  to  the  Legis- 
lature. Before  the  close  of  the  legislative  session  an  appropria- 
tion was  made  for  the  erection  of  a  hospital  for  the  insane  at 
Columbus  and  a  site  was  purchased.  The  building  was  completed 
in  1838  and  Dr.  Awl  became  superintendent.  In  1837  he  headed 
a  movement  for  the  establishment  at  Columbus  of  schools  for  the 
blind  and  feeble-minded,  and  the  original  resolutions  (which  be- 
came a  law),  in  his  own  writing,  properly  framed,  hang  in  the 
entrance  hall  of  the  School  for  the  Blind  in  the  southeastern  part 
of  the  city.  The  school  for  the  feeble-minded  was  not  established 
until  the  sixties. 

He  was  president  of  the  Association  of  the  Superintendents  of 
American  Institutions  for  the  Insane  from  1848  to  1851. 

Dr.  Awl  was  married  January  28,  1830,  to  Miss  Loughey,  and 
had  five  children,  all  of  whom,  with  their  mother,  survived  him. 
He  died  in  Columbus,  November  19,  1876,  from  an  attack  of  cere- 
bral hemorrhage  sustained  some  months  before. 

DR.  ROBERT  F.  BALDWIN. 

Dr.  Robert  F.  Baldwin,  the  eldest  son  of  Dr.  A.  Stewart  Bald- 
win and  Catherine  Mackey,  was  born  in  Winchester,  Frederick 
County,  Va.,  on  August  16,  1829.  After  a  training  at  the  academy 
in  Winchester  he  entered  the  office  of  his  father  and  uncle  as  a 


344  INSTITUTIONAL   CAEIE   OF   THE    INSANE 

medical  student.  Subsequently  after  a  year  (1848-9)  at  the 
University  of  Virginia  he  graduated  at  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania in  medicine  in  1851.  After  a  summer  in  hospital  practice 
in  Philadelphia  he  returned  to  Winchester  and  entered  into  part- 
nership with  his  father. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War  in  1861  he  was  commissioned 
a  colonel  of  militia  and  assigned  to  the  31st  Virginia  Infantry. 
While  attempting  to  check  the  advance  of  a  superior  force  under 
General  Lander  near  Bath,  in  West  Virginia,  after  a  gallant 
resistance  he  was  captured,  with  his  command.  In  this  action 
he  bore  himself  with  such  gallantry  and  cool  courage  as  to  excite 
the  admiration  of  General  Lander,  as  expressed  in  appropriate 
terms  in  after  years  by  a  member  of  his  staff  when  returning  the 
sword  surrendered  on  that  occasion.  Remaining  in  Camp  Chase 
and  Fort  Warren  until  1862,  he  was  exchanged  and  returned  to 
Richmond,  where  he  was  commissioned  a  surgeon  and  assigned 
to  duty  with  the  4th  Virginia  Infantry  in  the  "  Stonewall  "  Bri- 
gade. He  served  with  this  command  for  several  months,  but 
owing  to  ill  health  was  relieved  from  field  duty,  ordered  to  Staun- 
ton and  assigned  to  the  charge  of  a  general  hospital.  Here  he 
developed  the  administrative  talents  for  which  he  was  afterwards 
conspicuous. 

Returning  to  Winchester  in  1865,  he  pursued  private  practice 
with  unselfish  devotion  until  the  summer  of  1874,  when,  after  a 
long  ride  on  a  hot  day,  he  was  seized  with  a  violent  pain  in  his 
right  eye,  from  which  he  suffered  for  several  weeks.  After 
rallying  to  some  extent  from  his  prostration  he  went  to  Baltimore 
and  consulted  Dr.  Chisholm,  who  deemed  an  operation  necessary 
and  extirpated  the  eye,  finding  a  small  tumor  on  the  optic  nerve. 
He  returned  and  in  a  short  time  was  apparently  restored  to 
health. 

A  vacancy  having  occurred  in  the  Western  Lunatic  Asylum  by 
the  death  of  its  superintendent.  Dr.  Francis  T.  Stribling,  it  de- 
volved upon  the  Board  of  Trustees  to  elect  his  successor.  After 
due  consideration  the  board  decided  to  confide  this  important 
trust  to  Dr.  Baldwin. 

The  last  meeting  of  the  association  which  he  attended  was  in 
Washington,  D.  C,  in  1878, 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  345 

In  the  early  part  of  1879  his  diseased  eye  required  another 
operation,  but  he  was  not  benefited,  and  it  was  apparent  to  his 
friends  that  he  could  survive  but  a  few  months.  On  the  14th  of 
November,  1879,  he  was  called  to  rest. 

DR.  JESSE  P.  BANCROFT. 

The  death  of  Dr.  Jesse  P.  Bancroft  occurred  on  the  30th  day  of 
April,  1891.  His  last  illness  dated  from  a  paralytic  attack  in  1889, 
while  presiding  at  a  meeting  of  the  New  England  Psychological 
Society.  Although  stricken  with  what  he  knew  must  be  a  serious 
if  not  fatal  sickness,  with  heroic  calmness  and  characteristic 
presence  of  mind  he  put  the  motion  for  the  meeting  to  adjourn 
before  he  was  removed  to  his  hotel.  He  gradually  rallied  and, 
though  unable  to  enter  into  active  work,  never  for  a  moment 
until  the  day  of  his  death  did  he  lose  his  interest  in  passing  events 
or  in  whatever  transpired  in  the  specialty  he  loved  so  well. 

Dr.  Jesse  P.  Bancroft  was  born  in  Gardner,  Mass.,  April  17, 
181 5.  Like  many  New  England  farmers'  sons  of  that  day,  he 
felt  a  strong  desire  for  a  higher  education,  and  not  possessing 
the  requisite  means,  was  obliged  to  earn  by  teaching  and  other 
methods  the  necessary  funds  for  a  collegiate  and  professional 
education.  The  earnestness  of  purpose  and  character  thus 
developed  by  his  early  struggle  was  reflected  through  his  later 
life.  He  fitted  for  college  at  Andover,  Mass.,  entered  Dartmouth 
College  in  1837,  ^"^1  graduated  in  1841.  He  studied  medicine  with 
the  late  Professor  E.  R.  Peaslee,  of  New  York,  and  graduated 
from  the  Dartmouth  Medical  School  in  1844.  Prior  to  his  medical 
graduation  he  was  demonstrator  of  anatomy  in  Brunswick  Medi- 
cal School.  In  1845  ^^  commenced  the  practice  of  medicine  in 
St.  Johnsbury,  Vt.  He  soon  developed  a  large  general  and  con- 
sultation practice,  and  during  the  12  years  he  remained  there 
acquired  an  extensive  reputation  as  a  practitioner  and  a  high 
character  in  the  community. 

A  growing  interest  in  psychological  study  led  him  to  look 
with  favor  upon  a  call  made  to  him  by  the  trustees  of  the  New 
Hampshire  Asylum  to  become  superintendent  and  treasurer  of 
that  institution.  On  July  15,  1857,  after  much  reflection  and 
against  the  importunities  of  his  numerous  friends  and  patients  in 


346  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

St.  Johnsbury,  he  gave  up  general  practice  and,  accepting  the 
position  offered  him,  entered  upon  the  special  study  and  practice 
of  psychological  medicine. 

Dr.  Bancroft's  subsequent  life  is  practically  identified  with  the 
history  of  the  New  Hampshire  Asylum,  with  its  early  struggle 
and  final  success,  and  with  better  methods  in  the  care  and  treat- 
ment of  insanity  in  which  he  acquired  not  only  local  but  national 
reputation.  When  Dr.  Bancroft  came  to  New  Hampshire  he 
found  a  general  indifference  to  the  cause  of  the  insane,  as  well 
as  a  woeful  lack  of  funds  with  which  to  develop  the  institution 
and  supply  proper  treatment  for  the  patients  committed  to  his 
care.  He  found,  too,  buildings  constructed  on  the  old  rectilinear 
plan,  admitting  of  little  classification  of  the  different  classes  of 
patients,  poorly  lighted  and  with  imperfect  ventilation  and  plumb- 
ing. 

During  the  last  few  years  of  his  life  Dr.  Bancroft  took  great 
interest  in  state  supervision  of  the  insane.  For  years  he  had 
been  painfully  aware  of  the  fact  that  the  state  took  little  real 
interest  in  the  condition  and  needs  of  its  poor  insane.  He  was 
among  the  first  of  asylum  superintendents  to  join  the  National 
Conference  of  Charities.  In  1880  he  was  appointed  chairman  of 
a  committee  and  drew  up  a  report  containing  many  important 
suggestions  on  the  treatment  of  insanity,  which  was  signed  by 
many  men  who  had  previously  held  divergent  views.  He  labored 
strenuously  to  establish  state  supervision  in  his  own  state,  and 
he  lived  long  enough  to  see  a  state  board  of  lunacy  in  successful 
operation,  rendering  infinite  good  to  many  unfortunate  people 
who  had  the  misfortune  to  have  insanity  added  to  poverty. 

Personally  Dr.  Bancroft  was  universally  admired.  In  his  own 
city  his  opinion  was  frequently  solicited,  and  he  held  at  various 
times  positions  of  trust  in  the  banking,  charitable  and  educational 
institutions  of  the  place.  He  was  a  religious  man,  positive  in  his 
own  convictions,  but  always  charitable  towards  the  views  of 
others  who  might  differ  from  him.  The  same  simple,  just  and 
sympathetic  qualities  that  made  Dr.  Bancroft  a  valued  counsellor 
in  public  and  private  affairs  throughout  the  state  greatly  endeared 
him  to  his  intimate  acquaintances  and  his  own  family. 

For  several  years  Dr.  Bancroft  was  lecturer  on  mental  disease 
in  the  Dartmouth  Medical  School,  and  at  the  time  of  his  last  ill- 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE    UNITED    STATES  347 

ness  was  a  member  of  the  New  Hampshire  Medical  Society,  of 
the  Association  of  Medical  Superintendents  of  Institutions  for  the 
Insane,  and  president  of  the  New  England  Psychological  Society. 

DR.  RANDOLPH  BARKSDALE.^ 

Dr.  Randolph  Barksdale  retired  from  the  superintendency  of 
the  Central  State  Hospital,  Petersburg,  Va.,  November  i,  1896, 
because  of  failing  health.  On  account  of  the  excellent  work  he 
had  done  at  the  hospital  and  in  the  interest  of  the  insane  of  the 
state  generally,  and  the  personal  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by 
all,  he  was,  at  the  request  of  the  writer,  appointed  by  the  Board  of 
Trustees  superintendent  emeritus  and  consulting  physician  on 
a  salary.  For  nearly  three  years  he  paid  frequent  visits  to  the 
hospital  and  was  of  valuable  assistance.  On  October  18,  1907, 
after  a  long  period  of  impaired  physical  health,  he  died  at  his 
home  in  Petersburg,  at  the  age  of  76,  leaving  a  spotless  name  as 
a  heritage  to  posterity.  Dr.  Barksdale  was  descended  from  one 
of  Virginia's  most  prominent,  cultured  and  influential  families. 
His  academic  education  was  acquired  at  local  schools  and  at  the 
University  of  Virginia.  After  graduating  in  medicine  at  the 
university  in  1849,  ^^  entered  the  medical  department  of  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  took  his  degree  there  two  years 
later.  He  was  then  appointed  on  the  resident  staff  of  Block- 
ley  Hospital.  At  the  expiration  of  his  service  there  he  went 
abroad,  and  completed  his  medical  education  in  Paris.  In  1856 
he  located  at  Richmond,  Va.,  where  he  practiced  his  profession 
with  success  till  the  beginning  of  hostilities  between  the  states. 
Entering  the  Provisional  Army  of  the  Confederate  States  as  a 
surgeon,  he  began  actual  service  at  Manassas  and  continued  till 
the  surrender  at  Appomattox.  In  1862  he  became  medical  inspec- 
tor of  Longstreet's  Corps  and  held  the  position  until  the  close  of 
the  war. 

From  1873  to  1896,  excepting  two  years  (1882-1884),  when  he 
was  a  member  of  the  medical  staff  of  the  Catonsville,  Md.,  Hos- 
pital, he  was  the  superintendent  of  the  Central  State  Hospital  at 
Petersburg.  He  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife  being  Miss 
Macfarland,  of  Richmond,  by  whom  he  had  three  children.    His 

*  By  Dr.  William  Francis  Drewry  of  Petersburg,  Va. 


348  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

second  wife  was  Miss  Patteson,  of  Petersburg.  When  he  retired 
from  the  service  of  the  hospital  he  carried  with  him  the  respect 
and  regard  of  the  pubHc  and  the  gratitude  and  high  esteem  of 
those  who  had  been  associated  with  him.  I  count  myself  fortu- 
nate indeed  to  have  had  the  advantage  of  ten  years'  training  under 
and  association  with  a  man  of  such  exalted  character,  such  keen 
sense  of  justice  and  tender  sympathy,  and,  withal,  such  superior 
ability.  Though  he  wrote  little  for  the  medical  press,  and  his 
retiring  disposition  was  a  barrier  to  prominence  in  medical  so- 
cieties, he  was  justly  regarded  as  one  of  the  ablest  alienists  and 
hospital  superintendents  of  his  state  and  of  the  South.  His  per- 
sonality was  distinctive.  Of  lofty  ideals  and  dignified  bearing, 
reserved  and  retiring,  unostentatious  and  unobtrusive,  yet  firm 
in  conviction,  loyal  in  friendship,  kind  and  considerate,  courteous 
and  gentle  always,  he  was  respected  and  beloved. 

DR.  JAMES  BATES. 

Dr.  James  Bates,  of  Yarmouth,  Me.,  was  born  September  24, 
1789,  at  Greene,  Me.  He  graduated  from  the  Harvard  Medical 
School  in  March,  181 3,  and  in  the  same  year  was  appointed  sur- 
geon's mate  in  the  war  of  1812.  After  the  war  he  practiced  for 
two  or  three  years  at  Hallowell,  Me.,  when  he  removed  to  Nor- 
ridgewock.  Me.,  where  he  remained  in  extensive  practice  until 
1845,  ^t  which  time  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  Maine 
Insane  Asylum,  holding  the  position  for  about  six  years,  or  until 
the  asylum  had  been  destroyed  by  fire.  In  1858  he  removed  to 
Yarmouth  and  continued  in  medical  practice  there  until  the  age 
of  90  years,  in  full  possession  of  his  mental  faculties.  He  was 
not  an  author,  though  he  frequently  lectured,  in  and  out  of  his 
native  state,  on  agriculture,  stock  raising  and  kindred  topics,  and 
also  on  temperance  from  a  medical  and  physiological  standpoint. 
In  1830  he  was  elected  to  the  House  of  Representatives,  repre- 
senting the  Second  Congressional  district  of  Maine  in  the  22d 
Congress.  He  served  two  years  as  surgeon's  mate  in  the  war  of 
181 2,  and  in  1839  he  was  appointed  hospital  surgeon  in  the  "Aroos- 
took War,"  growing  out  of  the  settlement  of  the  northeastern 
boundary  of  Maine. 

He  died  February  25,  1882,  in  his  93d  year. 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  349 

DR.  JOHN  ALFRED  BEAUCHAMP. 

John  Alfred  Beauchamp,  M.  D.,  was  born  at  Edmonton,  Ky., 
November  24,  1835,  and  died  at  the  Central  Hospital  for  Insane, 
near  Nashville,  Tenn.,  February  27,  1910.  He  was  a  maternal 
grandson  of  Edmund  Rogers,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution ;  a  kins- 
man of  George  Rogers  Clark ;  his  great-uncle  was  a  member  of 
the  Cincinnati ;  he  was  a  nephew  and  office  pupil  of  Dr.  Chas.  K. 
Winston,  an  able  and  gifted  professor  of  materia  medica  and 
therapeutics  in  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Nash- 
ville, and,  through  his  father.  Dr.  J.  W.  Beauchamp,  he  traced  his 
lineage  back  in  a  direct  line  to  Warwick,  the  maker  of  kings. 

His  literary  education  was  completed  at  Center  College,  Dan- 
ville, Ky.  Matriculating  at  the  medical  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Nashville,  he  received  the  degree  of  doctor  of  medicine 
in  the  class  of  1861. 

In  the  Civil  War  he  entered  the  Confederate  service  as  a  mem- 
ber of  Bledsoe's  battery  of  artillery,  but  was  soon  transferred  to 
the  medical  staff  of  the  Confederate  States  Army,  and  served 
with  credit  and  honor  to  the  close  of  the  war. 

Shortly  thereafter  he  was  appointed  assistant  to  Dr.  W.  P.  Jones, 
superintendent  of  the  Central  Hospital  for  the  Insane  of  Ten- 
nessee. At  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Jones,  two  years  later,  by  reason 
of  ill  health,  he  was  retained  as  assistant  to  Dr.  John  H.  Callender, 
and  continued  in  this  position  for  25  years ;  on  the  resignation  of 
Dr.  Callender,  December  19,  1894,  he  was  appointed  superin- 
tendent of  the  Central  Hospital,  and  faithfully  and  satisfactorily 
discharged  his  important  and  responsible  duties  until  death,  being 
an  efficient,  earnest  and  sincere  official  of  the  State  of  Tennessee 
for  over  40  years.  During  his  service  two  large  additions  were 
made  to  the  Central  Hospital,  greatly  increasing  its  scope  and 
capacity  and  adding  largely  to  his  duties  and  responsibilities. 

Of  manly  and  robust  physique,  with  frank  and  open  counte- 
nance, he  was  modest,  kindly,  genial  and  courteous  ;  of  quiet  voice 
and  manner,  cool,  collected  and  placid  of  temperament,  he  was 
admirably  fitted  for  his  arduous  and  trying  duties. 


350  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

DR.  THEODRIC  ROMEYN  BECK. 

Theodric  Romeyn  Beck,  alienist,  was  bom  at  Schenectady,  N. 
Y.,  August  II,  1 791.  His  mother,  a  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Derick 
Romeyn,  principal  of  the  Schenectady  Academy,  was  a  woman 
of  rare  attainments  and  great  force  of  character. 

Theodric  Romeyn  Beck  entered  Union  College  in  1803,  grad- 
uated in  1807  at  the  age  of  16,  and  at  Albany  began  the  study  of 
medicine  under  Drs.  Low  and  McClelland.  Shortly  afterwards 
he  entered  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  New  York, 
receiving  there  his  medical  degree  in  1811,  and  thence  returning  to 
Albany  to  practice.  He  was,  however,  by  reason  of  too  great 
S3mipathy  with  the  sick,  not  so  highly  successful  in  practice  as 
in  authorship,  hence  at  the  end  of  six  years  he  gave  up  practice 
entirely. 

In  1 81 5  he  was  appointed  professor  of  the  institutes  of  medicine 
and  lecturer  on  medical  jurisprudence  in  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  for  the  Western  District  at  Fairfield,  N.  Y.,  and  in 
1817  became  principal  of  the  Albany  Academy,  afterwards,  in 
1826,  lecturer  on  jurisprudence  in  Albany  Medical  College,  occa- 
sionally holding  both  the  chair  of  practice  and  that  of  materia 
medica  in  the  same  institution. 

The  year  1829  saw  him  president  of  the  New  York  State  Medi- 
cal Society,  an  honor  held  for  three  successive  years ;  in  1840  he 
held  the  professorship  of  materia  medica  in  the  Albany  Medical 
College ;  in  1842  he  became  one  of  the  managers  of  the  New  York 
State  Lunatic  Asylum,  at  Utica ;  in  1854,  its  president.  After 
the  death  of  Dr.  Brigham  the  American  Journal  of  Insanity  was 
edited  by  him  for  several  years,  and  he  was  also  a  copious  con- 
tributor to  medical  journals,  chiefly  on  insanity. 

His  most  celebrated  book  was  his  "  Elements  of  Medical  Juris- 
prudence," a  monumental  work,  which  appeared  in  1823.  It 
attracted  much  attention  and  has  not  ceased  to  be  an  authority 
both  at  home  and  in  Europe.  An  English  edition  appeared  in 
1825,  two  years  after  the  first  American  edition,  and  by  the  time 
of  the  author's  decease,  four  English,  one  German  and  five  Ameri- 
can editions  had  been  issued.  Since  the  author's  death,  another 
American,  and  even  a  Swedish,  edition  have  been  published. 
Traill,  the  Scotch  legal  physician,  called  it  "  the  best  work  on  the 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  35 1 

general  subject  which  has  appeared  in  the  English  language." 
Guy  "  acknowledges  his  obligations  in  a  special  manner  to  Beck's 
learned  and  elaborate  '  Elements  of  Medical  Jurisprudence '  "  ; 
and  at  the  present  day  Prof.  Rudolph  A.  Witthaus  declares  this 
scientific  classic  to  be  "^  facile  princeps  among  English  works  on 
legal  medicine  ....  as  admirable  for  scholarly  elegance  of  dic- 
tion as  for  profound  scientific  research." 

Dr.  Beck  was  a  man  of  massive  build,  dark  of  skin,  hair  and  eye. 
He  possessed  an  extremely  gentle  and  sympathetic  manner. 

He  was  a  voluminous  reader  of  scientific  publications,  history, 
poetry,  fiction,  and,  in  fact,  of  every  sort  and  variety  of  literature 
that  was  sound,  sensible,  and  interesting. 

He  was  an  earnest  and  active  Christian,  nor  did  his  ardent 
faith  forsake  him  during  a  long  and  painful  illness,  ending  in  his 
death  on  November  19,  1855,  at  the  age  of  64. 

DR.  BROOKS  FORD  BEEBE. 

Dr.  Brooks  Ford  Beebe  was  born  June  25,  1850,  at  Barlow, 
Washington  County,  Ohio,  and  died  at  Cincinnati,  May  29,  1914. 
His  end  came  suddenly  from  cerebral  hemorrhage  while  he  was 
actively  engaged  at  his  city  office. 

His  boyhood  was  spent  in  rural  or  semi-rural  districts,  where 
he  obtained  the  usual  primary  schooling  of  those  days.  Coming 
to  Cincinnati  in  the  later  seventies,  he  matriculated  at  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio,  now  the  Medical  Department  of  the  University 
of  Cincinnati,  where  he  graduated  with  honor  in  1880,  securing 
an  internship  in  the  Hospital  of  the  Good  Samaritan.  For  nine 
years,  from  1881  to  1890,  he  was  assistant  acting  surgeon  to  the 
U.  S.  Marine  Hospital  at  Cincinnati.  Shortly  after  entering 
private  practice  in  1890  he  developed  a  taste  for  medico-legal 
work,  especially  in  connection  with  psychiatry,  and  his  services 
were  in  frequent  demand  by  the  courts  and  the  legal  profession. 

In  1900  he  established  the  private  sanitarium  for  nervous  and 
mental  disorders  known  as  "  Grandview,"  located  on  Price  Hill, 
Cincinnati,  and  was  its  medical  superintendent  and  proprietor 
at  the  time  of  his  death. 

Although  not  a  voluminous  writer,  his  contributions  to  medical 
literature  were  timely  and  practical  in  character  and  bore  evidence 


352  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

of  much  thoughtful  preparation.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Academy  of  Medicine  of  Cincinnati  from  his  earhest  years  in  prac- 
tice, and  was  influential  in  reorganizing  the  Ohio  State  Medical 
Association.  He  was  president  in  1907  of  the  Ohio  Valley  Medi- 
cal Association,  and  a  member  of  the  American  Medical  Associa- 
tion, and  of  the  American  Medico-Psychological  Association  from 
1909  until  his  death. 

DR.  LUTHER  VOSE  BELL. 

Luther  \'ose  Bell  was  bom  December  30,  1806,  a  son  of  Samuel 
Bell,  who  filled  the  offices  of  Chief  Justice  of  New  Hampshire, 
Governor  and  United  States  Senator;  he  was  descended  from 
Scotch-Irish  stock  which  had  settled  in  the  town  of  Londonderry. 

When  12  years  of  age  he  entered  Bowdoin  College  and  grad- 
uated in  1823,  receiving  his  medical  degree  at  Dartmouth  College 
in  1826,  and  afterwards  pursuing  his  medical  studies  in  Europe. 
The  degree  of  LL.  D.  was  conferred  upon  him  by  Kings  College, 
Nova  Scotia,  in  1844,  ^^d  by  .\mherst  College  in  1855. 

He  practiced  in  the  towns  of  Brunswick  and  Derry,  N.  H., 
and  in  1834  he  gained  the  Boylston  prize  for  a  dissertation  on 
"  The  Dietetic  Regimen  Best  Fitted  for  the  Inhabitants  of  New 
England,"  and  in  the  following  year  published  an  essay  on  the 
"  External  Exploration  of  Diseases  "  (Library  of  Practical  Medi- 
cine. \^ol.  ix) .  He  subsequently  issued  a  small  volume  entitled 
"  An  Attempt  to  Investigate  Some  Obscure  and  Undecided  Doc- 
trines in  Relation  to  Small- Pox  and  \'ariolaform  Diseases." 

About  this  time,  influenced  by  the  success  that  had  attended  the 
establishment  of  the  State  Lunatic  Hospital  at  Worcester,  Mass., 
in  order  to  improve  the  condition  of  the  insane  in  New  Hampshire 
he  entered  political  life  as  a  member  of  the  general  court  and 
began  a  propaganda  which  led  eventually  to  the  establishment  of 
the  New  Hampshire  Asylum  for  the  Insane.  While  pressing  this 
object  at  a  session  of  the  Legislature  he  was  appointed,  late  in 
1836,  physician  and  superintendent  of  the  McLean  Asylum  for 
the  Insane,  at  Somerville,  near  Boston. 

In  1845.  yielding  to  the  solicitation  of  the  trustees  of  the  Butler 
Hospital,  at  Providence,  R.  I.,  then  in  contemplation,  the  trustees 
of  the  Massachusetts  General  Hospital  gave  him  leave  of  absence 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  353 

to  visit  hospitals  and  asylums  in  Europe  to  prepare  a  plan  which 
should  embody  the  best-known  construction  of  that  period. 

He  was  one  of  the  founders,  in  1844,  of  the  Association  pf 
Medical  Superintendents  of  American  Institutions  for  the  Insane, 
now  the  American  Medico-Psychological  Association.  At  a  meet- 
ing of  the  Association  held  in  May,  1849,  ^^  ^^^'^  ^  paper  "  on 
a  form  of  disease  resembling  some  advanced  stages  of  mania 
and  fever,  but  so  contradistinguished  from  any  ordinarily  ob- 
served or  described  combination  of  symptoms  as  to  render  it 
probable  that  it  may  be  an  overlooked  and  hitherto  unrecorded 
malady."  This  is  the  malady  to  which  his  own  name  has  been 
given  as  "  Bell's  Disease,"  which  others  have  called  typhomania, 
and  upon  his  descriptions  and  study  of  which  much  of  his  fame 
as  an  alienist  rests. 

He  was  frequently  called  as  an  expert  in  insanity  in  the  courts. 
In  1850  he  became  a  member  of  the  Executive  Council  of  Gov. 
Briggs  for  one  year.  While  acting  in  this  capacity  he  passed  upon 
the  famous  case  of  Prof.  Webster,  of  Harvard  University,  who 
had  been  convicted  of  the  murder  of  Dr.  George  Parkman. 

In  1856  he  resigned  the  superintendency  of  the  McLean  Asylum, 
on  account  of  ill  health,  to  retire  to  private  life  in  Charlestown, 
Mass.,  but  on  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  he  offered  his  se;rvices 
to  the  government ;  enlisted  as  surgeon  with  the  nth  Regiment  of 
Massachusetts  Volunteers,  but  soon  was  promoted  to  the  position 
of  brigade  surgeon  to  Gen.  Hooker's  division  on  the  lower  Poto- 
mac.   He  died  in  camp  at  Budd's  Ferry. 

It  has  been  said  of  Luther  Vose  Bell  that  nature  was  lavish 
to  him  in  physical  as  well  as  in  mental  gifts.  He  was  much  above 
the  common  stature,  and  the  grace  of  his  carriage  was  perhaps 
heightened  by  a  certain  negligence  in  his  dress. 

DR.  JOHN  MERRICK  BEMIS.' 

After  an  illness  of  about  one  year  Dr.  John  Merrick  Bemis  died 
on  September  22,  191 5.  He  had  not  been  in  good  health  for 
several  years,  but  was  able  to  attend  to  a  large  part  of  his  profes- 
sional duties  until  within  a  few  months  of  his  death. 

*  By  Dr.  Walter  A.  Haviland. 


354  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE    OF    THE    INSANE 

Dr.  Bemis  was  born  February  14,  i860,  at  the  Worcester  Insane 
Asylum,  where  his  father,  the  late  Dr.  Merrick  Bemis,  was  super- 
intendent. Born  in  an  institution  for  the  insane,  his  father  before 
him  a  psychiatrist,  Dr.  Bemis  spent  all  his  life  in  the  study  and  care 
of  the  insane.  To  us  who  knew  him  best  his  was  an  ideal  character 
for  this  work.  His  personality  v/as  largely  made  up  of  patience, 
kind-heartedness  and  real  sympathy.  All  of  this  he  brought  to  his 
work. 

He  received  his  preliminary  education  in  the  Worcester  public 
schools  and  at  Phillips- Andover  Academy.  He  entered  the  Har- 
vard Medical  School,  but  was  unable  to  complete  his  studies  there 
on  account  of  ill  health.  Later,  on  regaining  his  health,  he  went  to 
the  University  of  Vermont,  where  he  received  his  degree  of  M.  D. 
in  1893.  He  then  returned  to  Worcester,  where  he  assisted  his 
father  at  the  Herbert  Hall  Hospital  until  the  death  af  the  latter  in 
1904.  He  then  succeeded  to  the  superintendency  of  the  hospital,  a 
position  he  filled  for  the  remainder  of  his  life.  A  high  tribute  was 
paid  to  his  kindly  nature  by  the  genuine  grief  expressed  by  his  old 
employees  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

Dr.  Bemis  was  for  several  years  a  trustee  of  the  Baldwinsville 
Hospital  Cottages  for  Children.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Ameri- 
can Medical  Association,  the  Worcester  District  Medical  Society, 
the  American  Medico-Psychological  Association  and  the  New 
England  Society  of  Psychiatry. 

DR.  MERRICK  BEMIS. 

Dr.  Merrick  Bemis  died  at  his  residence  in  Worcester,  Mass.,  on 
the  3d  of  October,  1904. 

Dr.  Bemis  was  born  in  Sturbridge,  Mass.,  May  4,  1820.  When 
he  was  a  child  his  parents  removed  to  Charlton  and  later  to 
Brookfield.  He  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  and  enjoyed  only  the 
educational  advantages  of  the  ordinary  country  school.  By  much 
personal  effort  he  completed  a  course  of  study  at  Dudley  Acad- 
emy, and  later,  after  teaching  school  to  secure  funds,  entered 
Amherst  Academy  to  fit  himself  for  Amherst  College.  A  long 
and  severe  illness  compelled  him  to  change  his  plans.  After 
teaching  for  several  years  at  Brookfield,  he  began  the  study  of 
medicine  in  Boston  at  25  years  of  age.    During  the  winter  months 


DR.  J.  B.  ANDREWS. 


DR.  RANDOLl'II  BARKSDALE. 


DR.    MERRICK   BEMIS. 


DR.  II.  A.  BUTTOLPH. 


29 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED    STATES  355 

he  taught  school  to  secure  the  money  to  prosecute  his  medical 
studies.  He  attended  medical  lectures  at  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  and  at 
Castleton,  Vt.,  and  graduated  from  the  latter  institution  in  1848. 
In  November  of  the  same  year  he  accepted  a  temporary  service  as 
assistant  physician  in  the  State  Lunatic  Hospital  at  Worcester. 
He  soon  received  a  regular  appointment  upon  the  medical  staff 
under  Dr.  George  Chandler,  the  superintendent,  and  occupied  this 
position  for  eight  years.  Upon  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Chandler 
in  1855  he  was  elected  superintendent.  The  following  eight 
months  he  devoted  to  travel  and  study  in  Europe,  taking  charge 
of  the  hospital  upon  his  return  in  the  summer  of  1856.  For  17 
years  he  was  superintendent  of  the  Worcester  Hospital,  resigning 
in  1872.  During  his  administration  he  introduced  many  important 
changes  in  the  methods  of  treating  and  caring  for  the  insane  and 
maintained  a  high  standard  for  his  institution.  During  the  latter 
part  of  his  hospital  service  he  purchased  the  property  to  which  the 
Worcester  Hospital  was  later  removed,  and  submitted  plans  for 
the  erection  of  new  buildings.  In  1868  he  again  visited  Europe 
to  study  hospitals  and  their  methods.  After  a  full  quarter  century 
of  continuous  service  in  the  State  Hospital,  he  resigned  to  estab- 
lish at  Worcester,  Herbert  Hall,  a  private  asylum  for  the  care 
and  treatment  of  women  suffering  from  mental  and  nervous  dis- 
ease. Here  he  conducted  a  successful  private  institution  until  his 
death.  During  the  last  few  years  of  his  life  his  son.  Dr.  John  M. 
Bemis,  was  associated  with  him  in  its  management.  In  addition  to 
the  work  of  this  private  hospital  he  had  an  extensive  practice  as  an 
insanity  expert  both  in  consultation  and  in  the  courts. 

He  was  one  of  the  first  American  physicians  to  advocate  cot- 
tage hospitals.  In  1887  he  was  appointed  as  one  of  the  state 
trustees  of  the  Hospital  Cottages  for  Children  at  Bald  win  ville, 
and  served  as  president  of  the  corporation. 

He  possessed  a  fine  literary  taste  and  accumulated  a  valuable 
library,  the  enjoyment  of  which  did  much  to  give  pleasure  and 
comfort  to  his  declining  years. 

He  married  Caroline  A.  Gilmor,  January  i,  1856,  the  daughter 
of  a  Brookfield  physician. 


356  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

DR.  NATHAN  D.  BENEDICT. 

Dr.  Nathan  D.  Benedict  was  born  in  Otsego  County,  N.  Y.,  on 
April  7,  1815.  He  graduated  with  honor  in  1837  ^t  Rutgers 
College,  New  Brunswick,  N.  J.,  and  commenced  the  study  of 
medicine  immediately  afterwards  at  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania in  the  spring  of  1841.  After  graduating  he  began  to  prac- 
tice in  Philadelphia,  and  was  successfully  pursuing  his  profession 
when  he  was  appointed  medical  superintendent  of  the  Philadelphia 
Almshouse  in  1846.  He  gave  himself  with  earnest  devotion  to 
the  care  of  the  insane,  and  at  the  same  time  paid  attention  to  the 
heating  and  ventilation  of  the  portion  of  the  institution  set  apart 
for  the  insane.  He  was  chosen  superintendent  of  the  State 
Lunatic  Asylum  at  Utica,  N.  Y.,  in  the  fall  of  1849.  While  en- 
gaged in  directing  necessary  alterations  in  the  heating  and  ventila- 
tion of  this  building  upon  a  plan  which  he  had  originated  and 
urged  upon  the  managers,  he  was  attacked  with  pneumonia,  at- 
tended by  profuse  hemorrhages,  and  was  long  at  the  point  of 
death.  When  able  to  go  out  after  months  of  confinement  he  was 
recommended  to  spend  the  winter  of  1853-4  in  Florida.  Return- 
ing in  the  spring  of  1854  with  the  expectation  of  engaging  in  his 
work  at  the  asylum,  he  found  it  necessary  to  resign  the  superin- 
tendency,  which  he  did  with  great  reluctance,  for  his  heart  was  in 
the  work.  He  removed  to  Florida  in  the  fall  of  1855  ^^^  opened 
an  institution  for  invalids  at  Magnolia.  In  this  enterprise  he 
succeeded  well  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War,  which 
virtually  compelled  him  to  give  up  his  plans,  as  the  government 
seized  his  buildings  for  hospital  purposes.  He  removed  to  St. 
Augustine,  where  he  continued  to  reside  for  the  rest  of  his  life, 
and  where  he  filled  several  offices  of  honor  and  trust. 

He  died  on  April  30,  1871.  Calm,  self-possessed,  and  genial, 
he  had  a  special  adaptability  to  the  care  of  the  insane,  which  he 
entered  upon  and  carried  forward  with  a  force  and  energy 
springing  from  deep  convictions  and  beneficent  impulses  too  great 
for  his  physical  constitution. 

DR.  HARVEY  BLACK. 

Harvey  Black,  M.  D.,  superintendent  of  the  Southwestern 
Lunatic  Asylum,  Marion,  Va.,  died  at  St.  Luke's  Home,  Rich- 
mond, Va.,  October  19,  1888. 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  357 

He  was  born  at  Blacksburg,  Montgomery  County,  Va.,  August 
27,  1827.  As  a  farmer's  son,  he  acquired  a  common  school  edu- 
cation, and  at  the  age  of  i8  began  the  study  of  medicine.  At  the 
age  of  20  years  he  served  as  soldier  and  hospital  steward  in  the 
Mexican  War.  He  graduated  in  medicine  in  1849  from  the 
University  of  Virginia  at  the  close  of  his  first  session,  and  began 
to  practice  his  profession  in  Blacksburg.  At  the  beginning  of 
the  Civil  War  he  became  surgeon  of  the  4th  Virginia  Regiment  of 
Infantry,  under  his  old  Mexican  War  captain.  This  regiment 
formed  a  part  of  the  renowned  "  Stonewall  "  Brigade,  and  in  the 
capacity  of  surgeon  he  formed  the  friendship  of  General  T,  J. 
Jackson.  The  war  ended.  Dr.  Black  resumed  private  practice  at 
Blacksburg,  and  when  the  government  appropriations  for  the 
establishment  of  agricultural  and  mechanical  colleges  in  various 
states  were  made,  he  became  interested  in  locating  one  in  his 
native  town,  and  was  made  rector  of  its  board  of  directors. 

In  1872  he  became  president  of  the  Virginia  State  Medical 
Society,  and  November  19,  1875,  was  appointed  superintendent  of 
the  Eastern  Lunatic  Asylum,  at  Williamsburg,  Va.,  entering  upon 
his  duties  January  i,  1876. 

He  possessed  administrative  ability  in  a  remarkable  degree, 
but  at  the  date  of  his  appointment  was  without  experience  as  an 
alienist.  In  March,  1882,  owing  to  political  changes  he  was  re- 
moved from  office  and  retired  to  private  life. 

In  1884  he  was  appointed  one  of  a  commission  to  select  a  site 
for  a  new  institution  for  the  white  insane  in  Southwestern  Vir- 
ginia. In  1885,  although  in  poor  health,  he  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  General  Assembly.  In  May,  1887,  the  Southwestern 
Lunatic  Asylum  was  opened  for  the  reception  of  patients,  and 
Dr.  Black  was  made  its  first  superintendent.  He  was  then  a 
sufiferer  from  urinary  calculus,  and  in  October,  1887,  underwent 
an  operation  for  its  removal.  He  returned  to  his  work  in  the 
spring  of  1888,  and  remained  faithfully  at  his  post  until  October 
5.  His  last  annual  report  was  written  almost  entirely  in  bed. 
On  October  8  he  had  a  second  operation  for  calculus,  from  which 
he  never  rallied. 


358  INSTITUTIOXAL    CARE    OF    THE    INSANE 

DR.  I.  W.  BLACKBURN. 

Isaac  Wright  Blackburn,  ]\I.  D.,  was  bom  in  Bedford  County, 
Pa.,  May  27,  1851,  and  died  June  18,  191 1.  The  families  of  his 
parents  were  of  English  descent,  and  had  emigrated  to  this* country 
during  the  17th  century.  They  were  among  the  early  settlers  of 
Pennsylvania  and  were  of  Quaker  stock. 

Dr.  Blackburn  received  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools, 
supplemented  by  private  instruction.  In  1872  he  began  the 
study  of  painting,  in  order  to  become  a  portrait  painter,  and 
became  a  pupil  in  the  private  school  of  Prof.  C.  Schussele,  prin- 
cipal of  the  Pennsylvania  Academy  of  Fine  Arts.  Subsequently 
he  became  a  student  at  the  academy  under  Schussele,  Eakins  and 
Baily.  While  pursuing  his  art  studies  he  attended  the  lectures 
and  demonstrations  of  Prof.  ^^^  W.  Keen  on  artistic  anatomy, 
and  becoming  deeply  interested  in  anatomy,  he  decided  to  study 
medicine.  He  entered  the  office  of  a  preceptor,  S.  F.  Lytle,  M.  D., 
of  Philadelphia,  and  remained  under  his  instruction  while  pre- 
paring to  enter  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  This  instruction 
and  study  in  the  Auxiliar}'  Department  of  Medicine  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania  prepared  him  to  enter  the  ^Medical  School 
of  the  University  in  1879.  ^^  ^^^  he  graduated  with  honors 
and  received  the  IMorbid  Anatomy  Prize,  offered  by  Prof.  Tyson 
for  his  thesis  on  the  "  -Microscopic  Diagnosis  of  Lymphoid 
Structures."  Deciding  to  adapt  the  branch  of  pathology  as  his 
life  work  in  medicine,  he  remained  two  years  for  a  post-graduate 
course  in  pathology  under  Dr.  Henry  F.  Formad,  demonstrator 
of  pathology  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania. 

On  July  I,  1884,  he  was  appointed  special  pathologist  to  the 
Government  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  Washington,  D.  C.  In  1885 
he  was  appointed  to  the  position  of  lecturer  on  the  pathology  of 
mental  diseases  in  the  IMedical  School  of  the  Georgetown  Uni- 
versity, and  in  1886  was  given  the  chair  of  pathology.  In  1889 
the  laboratory  work  and  lectures  on  histolog}'  were  given  in  charge 
of  Dr.  Blackburn  were  added  to  the  chair  of  pathology.  In  1898, 
owing  to  increased  work,  the  chair  was  divided,  and  Dr.  Black- 
burn was  elected  professor  of  morbid  anatomy  and  special  pa- 
thology, which  position  in  the  school  he  occupied  at  the  time  of 
his  death.     In  1906  he  was  given  the  chair  of  morbid  anatomy 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  359 

in  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Georgetown  University  of 
Washington,  D.  C. 

Dr.  Blackburn  was  a  member  of  the  American  Medico-Psycho- 
logical Association,  the  American  Association  for  the  Advance- 
ment of  Science,  Philadelphia  Pathological  Society,  and  other 
medical  and  scientific  societies. 

DR.  BENJAMIN  BLACKFORD. 

Dr.  Blackford  was  a  Virginian  by  birth,  a  Southern  gentleman 
of  the  old  regime,  descended  from  one  of  the  honored  families 
of  his  native  state.  He  was  reared  and  educated  amidst  re- 
fining influences.  He  began  his  medical  studies  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Virginia,  and  completed  them  at  Jefferson  Medical 
College,  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  in  1855.  Immediately  after  gradu- 
ating he  became  resident  physician  at  Blockley  Hospital,  and  held 
the  position  acceptably  for  two  years.  Returning  home,  he  lo- 
cated in  Lynchburg,  and  practiced  his  profession  until  the  Civil 
War,  when  he  was  appointed  surgeon  to  the  nth  Virginia  Regi- 
ment of  the  Confederate  Army.  Soon  showing  marked  executive 
ability,  he  was  appointed  surgeon-in-charge  of  the  military  hospital 
at  Culpeper,  and  later  transferred  to  other  hospitals  in  the  state. 
He  remained  in  the  service  until  the  surrender  at  Appomattox. 

After  the  close  of  the  war  he  resumed  general  practice  at  Lynch- 
burg, where  he  remained  till  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of 
the  Western  State  Hospital,  at  Staunton.  He  held  prominent 
positions  in  the  state  and  local  medical  societies,  being  president 
of  the  State  Society  in  1888. 

He  was  a  frequent  contributor  to  medical  journals  and  news- 
papers. His  style  of  writing  was  clear  and  ornate.  His  annual 
reports,  which  were  always  written  in  an  easy,  attractive  manner, 
contained  many  valuable  suggestions  regarding  the  care  of  the 
insane  and  the  management  of  state  institutions. 

In  1889  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  state  hospital 
at  Staunton,  and  at  once  instituted  an  improved  system  of  manage- 
ment ;  many  improvements  were  made  in  matters  material,  admin- 
istrative, and  medical.  With  honesty  of  purpose  and  a  clear  in- 
sight into  the  needs  of  the  insane,  he  met  the  daily  problems  which 
confronted  him  and  administered  the  affairs  of  the  institution 
faithfully  and  intelligently.     He  died  in  1905  at  the  age  of  71  years. 


360  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

DR.  CHAUNCEY  BOOTH. 

Dr.  Chauncey  Booth  was  born  in  Coventry,  Conn.,  September 
21,  1816.  He  entered  Amherst  College  with  the  class  of  1837,  but 
remained  only  two  years ;  taught  school  for  two  years,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1837  went  to  the  Brattleboro  Asylum  for  the  Insane  in 
Vermont  to  be  assistant  to  his  uncle,  Dr.  William  H.  Rockwell, 
who  had  opened  the  institution  the  previous  December.  He  re- 
mained in  Brattleboro  for  three  years,  studying  medicine  mean- 
while at  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  and  receiving  the  degree  of  M.  D.  from 
the  Berkshire  Medical  School  in  1839.  At  the  opening  of  the 
Maine  asylum  at  Augusta  in  September,  1840,  he  was  appointed 
assistant  physician  and  held  that  office  for  three  years,  forming 
a  particularly  close  and  intimate  friendship  with  Dr.  Isaac  Ray, 
then  superintendent,  which  continued  till  his  death.  In  1843  Dr. 
Booth  received  the  appointment  of  assistant  physician  at  McLean 
Asylum,  and  in  this  position  was  associated  for  13  years  with  Dr. 
Bell,  who  speaks  of  him  as  his  "  witty,  companionable,  generous 
second-in-command."  One  of  his  colleagues  said  of  Dr.  Booth : 
"  He  was  a  man  of  sterling  worth,  and  most  esteemed  by  those 
who  knew  him  best.  He  was  quiet  and  modest,  but  resolute  and 
self-possessed."  His  principal  characteristics  were  his  keen  and 
racy  humor,  his  modesty  and  generosity,  and  his  wonderfully 
sympathetic  insight  into  the  moods  of  the  patients,  by  whom  he 
was  much  beloved. 

DR.  AMARIAH  BRIGHAM. 

Amariah  Brigham,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  New  Marlborough, 
Berkshire  County,  Mass.,  December  26,  1798.  His  father,  John 
Brigham,  was  a  native  of  the  town,  a  farmer  and  a  descendant  of 
Thomas  Brigham,  who  came  from  England  and  settled  in  Cam- 
bridge in  1640. 

Amariah,  at  11  years  of  age,  upon  the  death  of  his  father,  was 
adopted  by  his  uncle,  Dr.  Origin  Brigham,  of  Schoharie,  N.  Y., 
who  planned  to  educate  him  for  the  medical  profession.  Soon, 
however,  he  was  thrown  again  upon  his  own  resources  by  the 
death  of  this  uncle,  and  at  the  age  of  14  secured  employment  as 
clerk  in  a  book  store  in  Albany,  where  he  had  access  to  books, 
with  leisure  to  read  them.    After  three  years  he  returned  to  his 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  361 

mother's  home  in  New  Marlborough,  where  he  spent  three  years 
in  fitting  himself  for  the  medical  profession,  and  afterwards  had 
a  year  in  New  York  in  attendance  at  medical  lectures.  During 
this  period  he  taught  school  through  the  winter  months,  and  it 
is  said  that  as  he  had  never  studied  English  grammar,  in  order  to 
teach  it  he  mastered  the  subject  in  a  single  day.  He  was  also  a 
medical  student  with  Dr.  E.  C.  Peet,  of  New  Marlborough,  and 
in  1820  with  Dr.  Plumb,  of  Canaan,  Conn.  In  1821  he  established 
himself  in  Enfield,  Mass.,  where  he  remained  for  two  years,  re- 
moving thence  to  Greenfield,  where  some  seven  years'  practice 
enabled  him  to  spend  a  year  in  travel  and  study  in  Europe. 

Upon  his  return  in  1829  he  selected  Hartford,  Conn.,  as  a  more 
prominent  and  lucrative  field  for  his  labors,  and  settled  there  in 
April,  1 83 1.  His  early  residence  in  Hartford  was  marked  by  a 
controversy  in  which,  in  his  solicitude  for  the  mental  and  physical 
health  of  his  associates,  he  opposed  the  custom  of  revivals  and 
protracted  religious  meetings,  and  brought  upon  himself  a  charge 
of  scepticism  and  infidelity.  He  published  later  two  small  volumes 
entitled  "Influence  of  Mental  Cultivation  on  Health"  (1832) 
and  "  Influence  of  Religion  on  the  Health  and  Physical  Welfare 
of  Mankind  "  (1836). 

About  this  time,  when  Asiatic  cholera  made  its  first  appear- 
ance in  America,  after  a  careful  study  of  the  disease  he  published 
a  treatise  on  "  Epidemic  Cholera." 

In  the  year  1840  he  wrote  another  work  entitled  "  An  Inquiry 
Concerning  the  Diseases  and  Functions  of  the  Brain,  the  Spinal 
Cord  and  the  Nerves,"  and  in  the  same  year  became  a  candidate 
for  the  office  of  superintendent  of  the  Retreat  for  the  Insane  at 
Hartford,  but  owing  to  his  stand  against  undue  religious  en- 
thusiasm and  his  strong  political  views,  his  candidacy  was  opposed, 
but  the  appointment  was  finally  made. 

He  married,  in  1835,  Susan  C.  Root,  a  daughter  of  Spencer 
Root,  of  Greenfield,  Mass.  They  had  four  children,  one  son  and 
three  daughters. 

In  1842  he  accepted  the  superintendency  of  the  New  York  State 
Lunatic  Asylum  at  Utica,  opened  in  January,  1843,  which  he 
labored  to  make  a  model  institution  and  to  persuade  the  public 
that  it  had  curative  rather  than  custodial  purposes.  To  this  end 
he  sought  to  diffuse  a  more  extended  knowledge  of  mental  dis- 


362  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE    OF   THE    INSANE 

eases  through  the  medium  of  his  annual  reports  and  popular 
lectures.  For  the  same  purpose  in  1844  he  undertook  the  publi- 
cation and  editorship  of  the  American  Journal  of  Insanity,  at  that 
time  the  only  magazine  of  its  kind. 

Dr.  Brigham  kept  a  journal  relating  to  his  health,  and  it  is 
noted  that  dating  from  1845  his  condition  caused  him  some  un- 
easiness. In  February,  1848,  he  gave  up  his  work  temporarily 
and  spent  two  months  in  travel  in  the  Southern  States.  The  bene- 
fits derived  were  soon  offset  by  his  great  sorrow  at  the  death  of 
his  son  in  August,  1848,  an  affliction  followed  in  a  few  months 
by  the  death  of  his  mother.  The  following  year  was  a  constant 
struggle  against  ill  health,  and  in  August  he  had  an  attack  of 
dysentery,  to  which  he  succumbed  on  September  8,  1849. 

The  Utica  State  Hospital  is  an  enduring  monument  of  his 
ability  as  an  organizer,  and  his  annual  reports  and  editorial  writ- 
ings in  the  Journal  of  Insanity  bear  witness  to  his  professional 
fitness  for  his  pioneer  service  in  New  York.  His  most  prominent 
characteristic  was  a  benevolent  interest  in  his  fellowmen.  His 
self-reliance  and  strong  determination  were  traits  which  served 
equally  to  advance  his  own  beneficent  ambitions  and  the  welfare 
of  the  afflicted  in  his  care.  In  no  respect  covetous  of  personal 
popularity,  he  was  governed  in  his  acts  by  conscience  rather  than 
by  considerations  of  human  approval. 

DR.  DANIEL  ROBERTS  BROWER. 

Dr.  Daniel  Roberts  Brower  died  at  his  home  in  Chicago,  March 
I,  1909,  from  cerebral  hemorrhage,  aged  69.  He  was  born  in 
Philadelphia  and  graduated  from  the  Philadelphia  Polytechnic 
College  in  i860  with  the  degree  of  M.  S.,  and  from  the  Medical 
Department  of  Georgetown  University  in  1864.  He  served  as 
an  assistant  surgeon  for  two  years  during  the  Civil  War,  and 
afterwards  as  superintendent  of  the  Freedmans  Hospital,  Rich- 
mond, Va.,  and  later  of  the  Eastern  State  Hospital  for  the  Insane, 
Williamsburg,  Va.,  for  nine  years.  He  came  to  Chicago,  111.,  in 
1875,  and  soon  became  an  important  figure  in  the  medical  life 
of  the  city.  He  was  connected  with  Rush  Medical  College,  first 
as  professor  of  materia  medica  and  therapeutics,  and  later  as 
professor  of  nervous  and  mental  diseases,  and  later  held  for  many 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED    STATES  363 

years  the  chair  of  diseases  of  the  nervous  system  in  the  Woman's 
Medical  School  and  the  Post-Graduate  Medical  School. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  American  Medical  Association,  the 
American  Neurological  Association,  the  American  Electro-Thera- 
peutic Association,  the  National  Association  for  the  Study  of 
Epilepsy,  the  Mississippi  Valley  Medical  Association,  the  Chicago 
Physicians'  Club  and  the  American  Medico-Psychological  Asso- 
ciation, an  honorary  member  of  the  Moscow  Society  of  Neu- 
rologists and  Psychiatrists,  and  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Senn 
Club.  He  was  a  member  of  the  attending  staff  of  St.  Joseph's, 
Cook  County  and  Presbyterian  hospitals,  and  consulting  physi- 
cian to  the  Women's  and  Children's  Hospital  and  Oakwood 
Sanitarium. 

He  was  the  author  of  a  text-book  on  insanity,  and  of  many 
monographs  on  nervous  and  mental  diseases.  He  received  the 
honorary  degree  of  A.  M.  from  Wabash  College,  and  of  LL.  D. 
from  Georgetown  University,  Kenyon  College  and  St.  Ignatius 
College. 

He  was  in  apparently  good  health  until  a  week  before  his  death, 
when  he  was  seized  with  cerebral  apoplexy,  causing  paralysis  of 
the  left  side,  but  apparently  not  affecting  his  mind.  He  gradually 
failed  physically,  but  retained  consciousness  until  a  few  hours 
before  his  death. 

DR.  D.  TILDEN  BROWN. 

Dr.  D.  Tilden  Brown  was  born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  in  August, 
1822.  In  1828  his  parents  removed  to  New  York  City,  which 
became  his  home  for  the  greater  part  of  his  life.  His  education 
was  acquired  at  a  school  in  Poughkeepsie  and  at  the  Washington 
Institute.  He  studied  medicine  in  the  office  of  Dr.  Willard  Parker, 
and  graduated  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  1844. 
When  22  years  of  age  he  became  the  senior  medical  officer  of  the 
City  Asylum  on  Blackwell's  Island,  under  the  general  superin- 
tendency  of  Dr.  McClelland,  of  Bellevue  Hospital.  For  a  single 
year  he  was  medical  assistant  at  the  Vermont  Asylum  and  for 
a  like  period  at  the  Utica  State  Asylum,  which  latter  position  he 
resigned  to  engage  in  practice  with  Dr.  Parker. 

The  health  of  Dr.  Brown  compelled  him  to  relinquish  the 
general  practice  of  medicine  and  he  became  the  agent  of  those 


364  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

who  were  opening  a  route  across  Central  America  for  emigrants 
to  California,  in  1849.  ^Y  his  familiarity  with  Spanish,  he  was 
brought  into  direct  relations  with  the  authorities.  He  explored 
several  routes  which  have  since  become  well  known,  and  ulti- 
mately negotiated  the  first  treaty  which  secured  the  right  of 
transit  across  the  Isthmus  of  Nicaragua.  His  efforts  brought 
fortunes  to  others,  but  not  to  himself. 

In  June,  1852,  he  assumed  the  charge  of  Bloomingdale  Asylum, 
made  vacant  by  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Nichols.  Dr.  Nichols 
was  the  successor  of  Dr.  Brown  at  Utica,  and  his  predecessor  and 
successor  at  Bloomingdale. 

He  visited  Europe  at  the  request  of  the  trustees  of  the  Shep- 
pard  Asylum  at  Baltimore  and  prepared  the  plan  which  was  finally 
adopted. 

He  resigned  his  position  at  Bloomingdale  in  January,  1877, 
in  consequence  of  ill  health  and  went  abroad  for  treatment.  He 
returned  later,  but  never  resumed  hospital  work,  and  died  in  1890. 

DR.  JOHN  PEASLEE  BROWN. 

Dr.  Brown  was  born  in  Raymond,  N.  H.,  October  12,  1833, 
and  died  September  19,  1908.  He  came  of  Colonial  stock,  the  first 
representative  of  which  settled  in  New  Hampshire  in  1639. 

He  was  the  son  of  a  farmer  and  one  of  eight  children.  The 
family  farm  was  small  and  provided  only  necessities,  not  luxuries. 
In  his  struggle  to  get  an  education,  as  his  father  was  not  able  to 
pay  his  expenses  he  maintained  himself  while  at  school  by  farm 
work  during  the  summer  and  teaching  during  the  winter,  through 
his  preparatory  and  collegiate  courses. 

He  graduated  from  Dartmouth  College  in  i860,  and  afterwards 
went  to  Louisiana  as  a  tutor  in  a  private  family,  but  the  speedy 
breaking  out  of  the  war  compelled  him  to  return  to  the  North. 
He  then  took  up  the  study  of  medicine  and  graduated  from  the 
Harvard  School  of  Medicine  in  1865. 

Shortly  afterwards  he  became  assistant  physician  in  the  New 
Hampshire  State  Hospital  under  the  superintendency  of  Dr.  J.  P. 
Bancroft.  In  the  same  year  he  married  Caroline  E.  Stevens,  of 
Mt.  Vernon,  N.  H. 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  365 

Dr.  C.  P.  Bancroft,  the  present  superintendent  and  a  life-long 
friend  of  Dr.  Brown,  wrote  thus  of  his  career  in  the  New  Hamp- 
shire State  Hospital : 

Dr.  Brown  came  to  the  State  Hospital  in  April,  1865,  and  served  con- 
tinuously until  March  i,  1878,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  the  superin- 
tendency  of  the  Taunton  Hospital.  During  the  time  he  was  here  he  was  an 
assistant  superintendent;  and  once  during  that  period  for  nearly  a  year, 
while  Dr.  J.  P.  Bancroft  was  absent  in  Europe,  he  acted  as  superintendent. 
Dr.  Brown  made  an  enduring  reputation  for  himself  in  New  Hampshire,  in 
a  quiet  and  unostentatious  way,  by  simply  performing  most  efficiently 
the  duties  which  fell  upon  him.  His  patients  became  greatly  attached  to 
him,  and  long  after  his  resignation  his  memory  lingered  with  those  to 
whom  he  had  ministered.  Among  patients  and  employees  he  had  the  repu- 
tation of  being  an  eminently  just  and  sincere  man,  and  all  came  to  know 
that  under  his  quiet,  almost  reserved  manner  there  beat  a  warm  and 
sympathetic  heart. 

In  1878  he  became  superintendent  of  the  Taunton  State  Hos- 
pital, and  held  this  office  more  than  20  years. 

The  senior  Dr.  Bancroft  entertained  for  him  the  most  profound 
regard.  In  the  report  of  the  New  Hampshire  State  Hospital  in 
May,  1878,  the  superintendent  says  that  "  Dr.  Brown  left  with  an 
established  reputation  earned  by  genial  culture,  extensive  informa- 
tion and  ample  experience." 

During  the  last  two  or  three  years  of  his  service  he  was  in 
delicate  health  and  was  confined  to  his  room  frequently  for  many 
weeks.  The  sudden  death  of  his  wife  in  1906  was  a  severe  blow 
from  which  he  never  recovered,  and  soon  afterwards  he  retired 
from  the  hospital. 

The  trustees  of  the  Taunton  State  Hospital  in  accepting  his 
resignation  put  on  record  the  following  as  to  his  character : 

The  utmost  confidence  has  existed  between  Dr.  Brown  and  the  trustees 
from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  his  administration.  His  ripe  judgment, 
quick  insight  into  the  growing  needs  of  the  hospital  insane  and  adoption 
of  the  most  approved  means  of  developing  the  institution  to  meet  them, 
as  well  as  his  native  talent  for  quiet,  effective  organization  and  manage- 
ment, soon  established  his  rank  as  a  hospital  administrator  of  the  first 
order,  which  he  has  maintained  to  the  close  of  an  unusually  long  official 
career.  His  equable  and  cheerful  nature,  calmness  and  patience,  firmness 
and  gentleness  have  been  reflected  in  his  influence  in  dealing  with  the 
patients ;  and  he  brought  to  the  work  not  only  the  highest  professional 
skill,  but  a  sympathy  and  tenderness  of  heart  which  enabled  him  to  do 
everj'-thing  that  was  possible  for  their  comfort  and  the  amelioration  of  their 
sufferings  in  mind  and  body.  His  thoughtfulness  and  consideration  have 
always  made  the  work  of  the  trustees  a  pleasant  and  agreeable  duty. 


366  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

DR.  PETER  BRYCE. 

Dr.  Peter  Bryce,  the  first  superintendent  of  the  Alabama  Insane 
Hospital,  at  Tuscaloosa,  died  at  his  residence  there  on  August  14, 
1892.  He  was  born  at  Columbia,  S.  C,  March  5,  1834,  and  re- 
ceived his  education  at  the  South  Carolina  MiUtary  Academy, 
where  he  graduated  with  a  high  grade  of  scholarship.  Upon 
completing  his  academic  studies  he  entered  upon  preparation  for 
the  medical  profession.  In  1859  he  graduated  in  the  Medical  De- 
partment of  the  University  of  New  York.  After  receiving  his 
diploma  he  further  pursued  his  studies  in  Europe,  especially  in 
the  hospitals  of  Paris. 

Upon  returning  to  America  he  was  connected  with  the  State 
Insane  Hospital  of  South  Carolina,  and  afterwards  for  a  short 
time  was  an  assistant  physician  at  the  State  Hospital  at  Trenton, 
N.J. 

From  this  latter  position  he  was  called,  in  i860,  by  the  first 
board  of  trustees  to  become  medical  superintendent  of  the  Ala- 
bama Insane  Hospital,  the  corner-stone  of  which  had  been  laid 
with  imposing  ceremonies  seven  years  before,  but  which  had  only 
been  partially  completed,  with  a  capacity  of  only  about  one-third 
its  present  number  of  inmates. 

At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  president  of  the  American 
Medico-Psychological  Association  and  first  vice-president  of  the 
Medico-Legal  Society  of  New  York.  He  had  also  been  president 
of  the  Alabama  Historical  Society  and  of  the  Medical  Association 
of  Alabama.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  president  of 
the  Commission  of  Lunacy  established  by  the  Alabama  General 
Assembly  about  five  years  before  to  provide  for  the  custody  and 
trial  of  the  criminal  insane,  and  also  a  member  of  the  Alabama 
State  Board  of  Health  and  of  the  Board  of  Censors.  About  ten 
years  ago  the  University  of  Alabama  conferred  on  him  the  degree 
of  LL.  D. 

As  a  writer  he  was  graceful,  lucid  and  pleasing  rather  than 
vigorous  in  style ;  and  in  discussion  he  was  ready  of  speech;, 
persuasive  in  manner  and  always  entertaining.  He  contributed 
occasional  articles  to  the  medical  and  scientific  magazines  and  to 
the  medico-legal  journals  of  the  country  which  attracted  wide- 
spread attention  and  discussion.    His  annual  reports  as  superin- 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  367 

tendent  of  his  own  hospital,  extending  through  more  than  a  quar- 
ter of  a  century,  were  models  of  style  and  conspicuous  examples 
of  professional  learning  and  expert  knowledge  of  psychological 
medicine. 

On  July  15  he  dictated  a  letter  by  the  hand  of  his  devoted  wife 
to  a  life-long  friend,  in  which  he  spoke  of  his  rapidly  declining 
strength  and  of  his  approaching  end.  He  then  wrote  as  follows, 
upon  the  oldest  of  all  subjects,  which  is  ever  fresh  : 

If,  as  I  apprehend,  I  am  approaching  the  close  of  life  rapidly,  I  have 
every  reason  to  be  thankful  that  its  course  is  so  smooth  and  pleasant. 
Death  has  never  had  any  terrors  for  me,  especially  of  late  years.  I  feel 
that  I  have  done  my  work,  and  hope,  without  self-praise,  to  be  permitted 
to  say  I  have  done  it  well. 

DR.  DWIGHT  R.  BURRELL. 

Dr.  Dwight  R.  Burrell  was  born  at  Sheffield,  Lorraine  County, 
Ohio,  March  i,  1843.  He  spent  his  boyhood  on  a  farm,  and  after 
preparation  in  the  common  schools  entered  Oberlin  College,  where 
he  graduated  in  1866.  His  college  course  was  interrupted  by  a 
brief  service  in  Company  K,  150th  Ohio  Volunteers,  during  the 
Civil  War. 

He  received  the  degree  of  M.  D.  at  Michigan  University  in 
1868,  and  afterwards  became  an  assistant  physician  in  the  New 
York  City  Asylum  on  Blackwell's  Island.  A  year  later  he  was 
appointed  an  assistant  physician  at  Bloomingdale  Asylum,  where 
he  remained  several  years.  In  1876  he  became  resident  physician 
at  Brigham  Hall,  Canandaigua,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  until 
incapacitated  by  illness  in  1908. 

His  professional  life  of  40  years  was  devoted  entirely  to  the 
treatment  of  the  insane  and  31  years  of  it  were  spent  at  Brigham 
Hall. 

He  was  a  nephew  of  Dr.  Amariah  Brigham,  in  whose  honor 
the  hospital  had  been  named  21  years  before  Dr.  Burrell's  ap- 
pointment, and  from  the  first  he  took  a  pecuHarly  personal  interest 
in  this  hospital.  His  wide  previous  experience,  his  attractive 
personality,  his  unfailing  sense  of  humor  and  his  careful  attention 
to  all  details  of  any  duty  qualified  him  for  large  success  at  Brig- 
ham Hall.  He  did  not  spare  himself  in  medical  and  administra- 
tive work ;  he  spent  much  time  also  in  the  clinical  instruction  of 


368  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

nurses.  Many  changes  in  the  care  of  the  insane  were  made  during 
the  40  years  of  his  professional  Hfe,  but  he  adapted  himself  to 
them. 

He  gave  much  attention  to  the  re-education  and  development 
of  chronic  cases  as  well  as  to  the  treatment  of  acute  forms  of 
mental  disease,  and  in  the  former  line  of  work  often  secured  such 
good  results  as  to  enable  patients  to  return  to  their  homes,  though 
not  entirely  recovered. 

He  was  a  public-spirited  citizen  and  held  many  positions  of 
trust  in  the  village  of  Canandaigua.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
American  Medico-Psychological  Association,  of  the  American 
Medical  Association,  of  the  Medical  Society  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  of  the  County  Society  and  of  the  Medical  Societies  of 
Rochester  and  Canandaigua. 

In  January,  1908,  he  had  a  stroke  of  apoplexy,  which  made  him 
almost  a  helpless  invalid  until  his  death  on  June  18,  1910. 

He  was  married,  but  left  no  children. 

CYRUS  BUTLER. 
Cyrus  Butler  (1767-1849),  a  wealthy  merchant  of  Providence, 
had  for  several  years,  to  use  his  own  language,  "  considered  the 
insane  as  objects  peculiarly  worthy  of  commiseration."  In  the 
closing  years  of  his  life  he  expressed  that  consideration  materially 
in  a  gift  of  $40,000  towards  the  erection  of  Butler  Hospital,  thus 
supplementing  the  bequest  of  $30,000  of  Nicholas  Brown,  founder. 
The  gift  was  contingent  upon  the  raising  of  an  equal  sum  from 
other  sources,  with  the  proviso  that  $50,000  should  be  kept  in  a  re- 
serve fund,  the  interest  of  which  should  be  used  to  defray  current 
expenses  of  maintenance.  As  an  expression  of  gratitude  for  Mr. 
Butler's  munificence,  the  trustees,  in  1844,  changed  the  title  of  the 
institution  as  incorporated,  namely,  the  "  Rhode  Island  Asylum  for 
the  Insane,"  to  the  "  Butler  Hospital  for  the  Insane,"  "  to  transmit 
to  distant  generations  the  example  of  this  good  deed."  He  died, 
without  issue,  August  22,  1849,  in  the  83d  year  of  his  age. 

DR.  JOHN  S.  BUTLER. 
John  S.  Butler,  M.  D.,  died  at  Hartford,  Conn.,  on  the  21st  of 
May,  1890,  of  chronic  Bright's  disease,  in  the  87th  year  of  his 
age.     He  was  born  at  Northampton,  Mass.,  in  1803.     He  grad- 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED    STATES  369 

uated  at  Yale  College  in  1825,  and  after  beginning  the  study  of 
medicine  in  the  office  of  Drs.  Hunt  and  Barrett,  of  Northampton, 
attended  a  course  of  lectures  at  the  Harvard  Medical  School, 
and  took  his  degree  there  in  1828.  Beginning  in  1829  he  was  en- 
gaged for  ten  years  in  general  practice  in  Worcester,  Mass.,  where 
he  was  a  frequent  visitor  at  the  lunatic  asylum,  and  gained  from 
Dr.  Samuel  B.  Woodward  a  great  interest  in  the  care  of  the  insane. 

In  1839,  when  the  Boston  Lunatic  Hospital  was  opened,  as  the 
result  of  the  active  efforts  of  Mayor  Samuel  A.  Eliot,  to  relieve 
the  deplorable  condition  of  the  insane  confined  in  the  House  of 
Industry,  he  was  appointed  the  first  superintendent  upon  the 
recommendation  of  Dr.  Woodward  and  remained  in  charge  of  the 
hospital  for  three  years,  when  he  resigned.  A  letter  written  at 
that  time  by  Mr.  Eliot,  then  ex-mayor,  bears  explicit  testimony  to 
Dr.  Butler's  success  in  removing  the  insane  from  "  shocking 
cells,"  and  treating  them  with  "  mingled  kindness,  care  and  skill." 
Similar  testimony  was  given  by  Amos  Lawrence  and  Drs.  Hay- 
ward,  Reynolds,  Storer  and  others  as  to  his  special  aptitude  for  the 
care  of  the  insane. 

In  1843  he  was  chosen  superintendent  of  the  Hartford  Re- 
treat for  the  Insane,  and  there  he  found  a  proper  field  for  his 
marked  abilities.  For  30  years  of  continued  service  he  kept  the 
institution  in  the  front  rank  of  contemporary  progress.  His  in- 
fluence was  large  and  useful,  and  was  felt  in  the  establishment  of 
the  State  Hospital  for  the  Insane  in  Middletown.  After  the  Re- 
treat had  been  relieved  of  the  pauper  patients  which  had  crowded 
its  wards  he  was  able  to  realize  his  cherished  ideas  of  the  "  indi- 
vidualized treatment  of  the  insane,"  which  were  embodied  in  his 
book  upon  that  subject  entitled  "  The  Curability  of  Insanity," 
published  in  1886.  The  picturesque  grounds  of  the  Retreat,  with 
its  beautiful  lawn,  and  the  improvements  initiated  by  him  in  the 
buildings,  bear  testimony  to  the  earnestness  and  correctness  of  his 
belief  that  patients  should  be  surrounded  by  attractive  and  home- 
like conditions. 

He  was  one  of  the  original  13  who  organized  the  Association 
of  Medical  Superintendents  in  1844,  and  was  its  vice-president 
for  eight  years,  1862-1869,  and  president  for  three  years,  1870- 
1872.  He  was  an  honorary  member  of  the  Medico-Psychological 
Society  of  Great  Britain.    In  1872  he  resigned  his  superintendency 


370  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

and  retired  at  the  age  of  70  years,  continuing,  however,  an  expert 
and  consultation  practice.  In  1878  he  was  made  the  first  presi- 
dent of  the  Connecticut  State  Board  of  Health,  which  published 
his  first  annual  address  on  "  State  Preventive  Medicine."  He  re- 
signed that  office  after  ten  years,  but  retained  his  membership  in 
the  board  until  his  death. 

DR.  H.  A.  BUTTOLPH. 

Horace  A.  Buttolph,  M.  D.,  LL.  D.,  was  born  April  6,  181 5, 
in  the  Township  of  North  East,  Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.  His 
parents  were  Warren  and  Mar}-  (McAllister)  Buttolph.  His 
father  was  of  German  and  his  mother  of  Irish  descent.  He  read 
medicine  with  his  mother's  brother.  Dr.  Charles  McAllister,  of 
South  Lee,  Berkshire  County,  j\Iass.  He  received  his  medical 
education  at  the  Berkshire  IMedical  College,  where  he  graduated 
in  1836,  after  three  courses  of  lectures.  He  began  the  practice  of 
medicine  in  Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.,  but  remained  there  only  a 
short  time.  He  afterwards  resided  at  Sharon,  Litchfield  County, 
Conn.,  for  five  years.  Later  he  attended  medical  lectures  in  the 
L'niversity  of  New  York,  and  became  deeply  interested  in  mental 
science  and  the  care  of  the  insane. 

When  in  1842  the  New  York  State  Lunatic  Asylum  at  Utica  was 
about  to  receive  patients,  he  made  an  application  for  a  position 
upon  the  medical  staff.  Later  he  visited  the  leading  asylums  in 
the  New  England  States,  and  upon  his  return  became  an  assistant 
to  Dr.  Brigham,  the  first  superintendent. 

In  1847  he  was  elected  superintendent  of  the  New  Jersey  State 
Lunatic  Asylum  at  Trenton.  Before  entering  upon  his  duties 
he  visited  many  of  the  asylums  for  the  insane  in  Great  Britain, 
France  and  Germany,  in  order  to  equip  himself  better  for  the 
superintendency.  He  remained  superintendent  at  the  Trenton 
Lunatic  Asylum  (now  the  New  Jersey  State  Hospital  at  Trenton) 
for  nearly  29  years,  and  was  its  guiding  spirit  in  every  progressive 
step  taken  by  the  management.  In  April,  1876,  he  resigned  to 
take  charge  of  the  State  Asylum  for  the  Insane  at  Morristown 
(now  known  as  the  New  Jersey  State  Hospital  at  Morris  Plains). 

In  1868-9  he  had  been  appointed  on  a  commission  to  select  the 
site  for  the  new  institution  at  JMorris  Plains,  and  with  Samuel 
Sloan,  an  architect  of  Philadelphia,  designed  the  plans  of  the 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  3/1 

magnificent  structure,  still  remarkable  for  its  substantial  character 
and  its  architectural  features.  The  hospital  at  Morris  Plains, 
which  bears  the  impress  of  his  hand  and  intellect,  is  of  granite  and 
sandstone,  beautifully  located  and  in  one  of  the  most  healthful 
districts  of  the  State  of  New  Jersey.  Its  cost  before  any  patients 
were  admitted  was  more  than  $2,500,000.  It  has  nearly  eight 
acres  of  floor  space. 

In  1885  Dr.  Buttolph  resigned  the  superintendency  of  this 
institution  because  of  a  legislative  act  which  made  the  administra- 
tion of  the  institution  dual  in  character.  For  38  years  his  official 
relations  to  the  Trenton  and  Morris  Plains  asylums  had  been  that 
of  superintendent,  the  supreme  resident  authority.  To  divide 
such  authority  was  in  his  judgment  a  retrograde  movement  in 
the  management  of  a  medical  institution.  He  accordingly  re- 
signed and  retired  to  private  life  at  Short  Hills,  N.  J. 

The  law  referred  to  provided  for  the  appointment  of  a  medical 
director  and  a  warden ;  the  medical  director  to  have  charge  of 
all  patients  and  to  be  supreme  in  the  medical  work  proper  of 
the  institution  and  the  warden  to  have  charge  of  business  and 
financial  operations,  including  the  control  of  all  employees  and 
business  operations  outside  of  the  medical  work  proper.  At  the 
time  of  Dr.  Buttolph's  resignation  there  were  745  patients  in  the 
institution;  it  now  accommodates  about  2150  patients  because  of 
the  erection  of  additional  buildings. 

He  enjoyed  the  confidence  and  sympathy  of  the  medical  pro- 
fession, especially  of  those  engaged  in  the  work  of  caring  for  the 
insane,  throughout  the  country. 

Princeton  College  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  LL.  D.  in 
1872.  He  was  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school,  dignified  and  highly 
refined  in  manner  and  with  a  high  sense  of  honor  in  the  perform- 
ance of  all  official  work.  He  wrote  extensively  for  medical 
journals  and  magazines  upon  mental  science,  phrenology,  and  the 
care,  treatment  and  management  of  the  insane. 

He  married  twice.  His  first  wife,  Catherine  King,  of  Sharon, 
Conn.,  died  in  185 1.  In  1854  he  married  Maria  R.  Gardner, 
daughter  of  John  Syng  Gardner,  M.  D.,  professor  of  anatomy 
in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania. 

He  died  at  Short  Hills,  Essex  County,  N.  J.,  on  the  21st  day  of 
May,  1898. 


372  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

DR.  ALFRED  B.  CABANISS. 

Alfred  B.  Cabaniss  was  born  in  the  City  of  Huntsville,  Ala., 
on  the  loth  of  December,  1808,  and  died  in  Hinds  County,  Miss., 
November  21,  1871,  at  the  age  of  nearly  63  years. 

He  received  his  medical  diploma  from  the  Transylvania  Uni- 
versity at  Lexington,  Ky.,  then  the  great  school  of  the  West,  in 
1833,  and  in  1835  was  admitted,  ad  eundem  gradum,  at  Jefferson 
Medical  College,  Philadelphia. 

He  settled  first  in  Raymond,  Hinds  County,  and  afterwards 
removed  to  Jackson,  the  state  capital,  where  he  gained  a  reputa- 
tion for  skill  and  kindness  unsurpassed  by  that  of  any  physician  in 
Mississippi.  He  possessed  in  an  eminent  degree  all  the  elements 
essential  to  a  successful  physician.  With  a  philosophical  and 
meditative  mind  he  combined  a  warm-hearted  geniality  and  a 
sympathetic  cheerfulness,  which  made  him  welcome  as  a  scientific 
physician  and  as  a  friend  and  adviser. 

During  the  war,  though  far  advanced  beyond  the  military  age, 
he  was  not  an  idle  spectator,  but  at  an  early  day  offered  his 
services  to  the  sick  and  wounded  Confederate  soldiers,  and  for  a 
long  time  was  the  post  surgeon  of  the  City  of  Jackson. 

Soon  after  the  war  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the 
Mississippi  State  Asylum.  During  his  incumbency,  for  a  period 
of  four  years,  he  gained  the  affection  and  good  will,  not  only 
of  the  employees,  but  also  of  the  patients,  who  regarded  him  as 
their  father.  Nowhere  perhaps,  except  in  his  immediate  family 
circle,  did  his  death  cast  a  sadder  gloom  than  upon  this  household. 

In  life  he  made  his  mark  among  men,  and  dying  left  behind 
him  an  example  worthy  of  imitation. 

DR.  JOHN  H.  CALLENDER. 

Dr.  John  H.  Callender  was  born  November  28,  1831,  near  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.  He  attended  the  best  classical  schools  in  his  native 
city,  and  at  the  age  of  17  entered  the  University  of  Nashville, 
where  he  remained  until  1850. 

In  185 1  he  entered  the  law  department  of  the  University  of 
Louisville,  and  in  the  following  year  went  to  Cambridge  to  avail 
himself  of  the  more  extended  advantages  offered  by  Harvard 
University. 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  373 

His  father's  illness  and  death  called  him  to  his  home,  and  he 
abandoned  further  prosecution  of  his  legal  studies. 

He  then  commenced  the  study  of  medicine,  receiving  his  degree 
as  doctor  of  medicine  from  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in 

1855- 

For  three  years  he  was  joint  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Nash- 
ville Patriot,  and  in  1858  was  elected  to  the  chair  of  materia 
medica  and  therapeutics  in  Shelby  Medical  College  in  Nashville, 
which  position  he  occupied  until  1861,  when  he  was  appointed 
surgeon  to  the  nth  Tennessee  Confederate  Regiment. 

In  1868  he  was  elected  professor  of  materia  medica  and  thera- 
peutics in  the  Medical  Department  of  the  University  of  Nash- 
ville, and  in  the  following  year  was  appointed  superintendent  of 
the  Tennessee  State  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  where  he  remained 
until  1895,  a  period  of  26  years.  He  resigned  his  position,  in- 
tending to  establish  a  private  sanitarium,  but  death  overtook  him 
just  as  his  ideals  were  being  realized.  From  1869  to  1880  he 
occupied  the  chair  of  diseases  of  the  brain  and  nervous  system 
in  the  University  of  Nashville,  and  in  1880  he  became  professor 
of  physiology  and  psychology  in  the  conjoined  medical  depart- 
ments of  the  University  of  Nashville  and  Vanderbilt  University. 
When  the  two  schools  separated  Dr.  Callender  became  dean  of  the 
medical  faculty  of  the  University  of  Nashville  and  professor  of 
diseases  of  the  brain  and  nervous  system. 

At  the  session  of  the  American  Medico-Psychological  Asso- 
ciation in  1879  he  was  chosen  president,  being  the  youngest  man 
ever  thus  elected.  At  the  Ninth  International  Medical  Congress 
at  Washington  in  1887  he  was  elected  president  of  the  section  on 
physiology. 

He  died  at  his  private  sanitarium,  Morningside  Retreat,  in 
East  Nashville,  August  3,  1896,  after  an  attack  of  dysentery. 

DR.  EUGENE  GROVE  CARPENTER. 

Dr.  Eugene  Grove  Carpenter  was  born  in  the  village  of  New- 
ville,  Richland  County,  Ohio,  January  14,  1857.  He  assisted  his 
father  in  the  manufacture  of  leather  in  early  life,  and  thus  he 
acquired  the  sound  business  principles  which  were  so  helpful  in 
his  later  career.    He  obtained  his  education  in  the  public  schools 


374  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

of  Mansfield  and  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University  at  Delaware, 
graduating  from  the  latter  institution  in  1882.  In  1884  he  grad- 
uated from  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  Baltimore, 
Md.  In  1885  he  was  appointed  assistant  physician  of  the  Cleve- 
land State  Hospital,  then  under  the  management  of  Dr.  Jamin 
Strong.  Here  he  received  his  first  impulse  toward  the  study  of 
psychiatry.  After  leaving  the  Cleveland  State  Hospital  he  prac- 
ticed medicine  for  a  time  in  Cleveland,  and  in  1894  visited  New 
York  for  a  post-graduate  course,  and  later  Vienna  and  Berlin. 
In  1896  he  visited  Heidelberg  for  special  courses  under  Erb  and 
Kraepelin,  and  later  Paris  and  London.  Upon  his  return  home 
he  became  a  member  of  the  staff  of  the  Cleveland  City  Hospital, 
and  shortly  after  was  appointed  a  trustee  of  the  Massillon  State 
Hospital.  In  1898  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  Colum- 
bus State  Hospital  to  succeed  Dr.  A.  B.  Richardson,  who  had 
been  made  superintendent  of  the  Government  Hospital  at  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. 

From  his  boyhood  he  was  of  a  happy,  cheerful  disposition,  and 
was  particularly  beloved.  He  had  an  observing  mind  and  a 
memory  for  details.  He  was  inclined  to  research  and  was  never 
satisfied  to  accept  a  statement  until  he  knew  the  reason  for  it. 
He  was  a  kind  but  strict  disciplinarian  and  was  intolerant  of  any 
severity  towards  his  patients.  His  thorough  knowledge  of  ele- 
mentary principles  of  medicine  and  physiology  enabled  him  to 
form  a  sound  judgment.  He  was  not  considered  by  his  friends 
a  brilliant  man  of  the  meteoric  variety,  but  his  deliberate,  care- 
ful, conscientious  and  exhaustive  examination  of  patients  placed 
him  in  the  front  rank  as  an  insanity  expert,  and  his  testimony 
had  great  weight  in  court.  His  excellent  memory  gave  him  great 
advantage,  and  his  ability  to  call  up  principles  and  facts  which 
he  had  learned  in  youth  was  remarkable. 

Dr.  Carpenter  was  apparently  in  robust  health  up  to  the  very 
day  of  his  apoplectic  attack.  He  was  stricken  October  16,  1902, 
and  never  regaining  consciousness,  passed  peacefully  away  three 
days  later. 

DR.  GEORGE  C.  CATLETT. 

Dr.  George  C.  Catlett,  superintendent  of  the  Missouri  State 
Lunatic  Asylum,  No.  2,  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  died  May  19,  1886,  of 
acute  cystitis,  after  an  illness  of  ten  days.     He  was  born  in 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  375 

Christian  County,  Ky.,  June  20,  1828,  and  was  nearly  58  years 
of  age  at  his  death.  He  was  educated  in  the  Kentucky  Academy, 
and  studied  medicine  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
graduated  in  1851.  He  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in 
St.  Joseph  and  paid  especial  attention  to  surgery.  From  1858 
to  1861  Dr.  Catlett  was  one  of  the  editors  of  the  St.  Joseph  Medical 
and  Surgical  Journal.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  entered 
the  Confederate  service  as  surgeon.  He  was  in  many  of  the  most 
trying  campaigns  of  that  struggle,  and  gained  an  honorable  record. 
When  the  State  Lunatic  Asylum,  No.  2,  was  completed,  in  1874, 
Dr.  Catlett  was  made  superintendent  and  held  the  position  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  Under  his  able  management  the  asylum  be- 
came equal  to  any  in  the  state.  When  the  St.  Joseph  Medical 
College  was  chartered,  in  1877,  he  was  made  professor  of  physi- 
ology and  of  nervous  and  mental  diseases.  He  was  widely  and 
favorably  known ;  his  death  was  a  serious  loss  to  the  medical  pro- 
fession and  to  the  state. 

DR.  GEORGE  CHANDLER. 

George  Chandler,  M.  D.,  died  at  Worcester,  Mass.,  May  17, 
1893,  aged  87  years.  He  was  born  in  1806,  a  native  of  Pomfret, 
Conn.,  and  the  son  of  Major  John  Wilkes  Chandler.  He  entered 
Brown  University,  but  left  it  to  graduate  from  Union  College. 
In  183 1  he  began  the  practice  of  medicine  in  Worcester,  and  a 
few  years  later  was  made  assistant  physician  of  the  State  Lunatic 
Hospital  in  Worcester.  From  Worcester  he  was  called  to  the 
charge  of  the  Insane  Asylum  at  Concord,  N.  H.,  and  in  1846  he 
was  recalled  to  be  superintendent  of  the  Worcester  Asylum.  He 
remained  in  this  office  for  ten  years,  resigning  in  1856,  and  during 
the  remainder  of  his  life  devoted  himself  to  private  special  prac- 
tice, to  travel,  and  to  historical  and  genealogical  studies,  in  which 
he  took  much  interest  and  for  which  he  had  leisure.  He  pre- 
pared the  genealogy  of  the  Chandler  family,  as  descended  from 
William  and  Annis  Chandler,  who  settled  in  Roxbury  in  1637. 
The  volume,  a  large  octavo,  was  printed,  but  nearly  the  whole 
edition  was  destroyed  in  the  great  Boston  fire  of  1877.  He 
immediately  set  to  work  to  prepare  a  new  and  enlarged  edition 
of  1300  pages,  which  is  confessedly  the  most  complete  work  of 


376  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

the  kind  ever  published  in  the  United  States.  One  can  hardly 
estimate  the  immense  labor,  travel  and  research  which  such  a 
compilation  cost.  He  was  a  man  of  great  skill  in  his  profession, 
and  especially  in  that  branch  to  which  he  gave  his  active  profes- 
sional life,  but  was  extremely  modest  and  was  the  soul  of  honesty. 
He  hated  all  pretense  and  sham.  He  was  held  in  high  honor  by 
his  professional  brethren,  and  by  students  of  American  history, 
among  whom  he  counted  his  relative  and  friend,  George  Ban- 
croft. He  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife  being  Josephine 
Rose,  of  Antigua,  West  Indies,  by  whom  he  had  two  daughters. 
For  his  second  wife  he  married  Mrs.  Charles  A.  Wheeler,  of 
Worcester,  a  widow,  who  survived  him. 

During  his  professional  activity  and  the  following  years  Dr. 
Chandler  was  connected  with  various  other  interests.  In  1839 
he  was  commissioned  by  Governor  Everett  surgeon  of  the  Light 
Infantry,  M.  V.  M. ;  a  justice  of  the  peace ;  a  member  of  the 
Massachusetts  Medical  Society ;  an  honorary  member  of  the  New 
Hampshire,  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island  medical  societies ;  a 
member  of  the  American  Antiquarian  Society ;  inspector  of  the 
state  almshouse  at  Monson ;  Representative  to  the  Legislature 
in  1859,  and  Alderman  in  1862. 

In  the  latter  year  he  was  at  Fortress  Monroe  as  medical  chief 
of  the  ship  St.  Marks,  detailed  to  bring  North  wounded  Federal 
soldiers. 

DR.  WILLIAM  S.  CHIPLEY. 

Dr.  William  S.  Chipley  was  born  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  October 
18,  1810.  He  received  an  academic  education  and  later  the  degree 
of  M.  D.  (1832)  from  the  Transylvania  University.  Soon  after 
graduating  he  commenced  the  practice  of  medicine  in  Columbus, 
Ga.,  but  returned  to  Lexington  in  1844.  Successful  as  a  practi- 
tioner and  reputable  as  a  man  of  learning,  he  was  elected  to  the 
chair  of  theory  and  practice  of  medicine  in  the  Medical  Depart- 
ment of  Transylvania  University  in  1853,  and  delivered  the 
lectures  from  that  chair  until  called  to  the  position  of  superinten- 
dent of  the  Eastern  Lunatic  Asylum  of  Kentucky  at  Lexington, 
in  1855.  This  position  he  occupied  for  15  years,  discharging  the 
incumbent  duties  with  ability  and  marked  devotion  to  the  interests 
of  the  insane  as  well  as  the  interests  of  the  state. 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  377 

Personal  and  political  exigencies  compelled  Dr.  Chipley  to 
resign  the  superintendency  in  1870.  Soon  after  his  resignation 
he  opened  a  private  hospital  for  the  insane  at  Lexington,  which 
he  conducted  until  1875,  when  he  accepted  the  superintendency 
of  the  Cincinnati  Sanitarium.  Here  in  the  successful  discharge  of 
professional  duties  he  died,  February  11,  1880. 

DR.  JOSEPH  MANNING  CLEAVELAND. 

Joseph  Manning  Cleaveland  was  born  at  Newburg,  Mass.,  July 
22,  1824.  He  was  of  New  England  parentage,  but  had  Southern 
relatives ;  his  maternal  grandfather,  Dr.  Manning,  a  physician  of 
note,  practiced  many  years  in  Charleston,  S.  C. 

He  received  his  early  education  at  Dummer's  Academy,  and 
later  at  Phillips  Exeter  Academy. 

His  collegiate  course  was  taken  at  Princeton,  where  he  grad- 
uated with  the  degree  of  B.  A.  in  1846 

He  began  his  medical  studies  in  New  York  City  at  the  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  from  which  he  received  his  degree 
in  1850. 

From  1850  to  1853  he  served  as  house  physician  in  the  New 
York  Hospital  and  was  one  of  the  few  members  of  the  medical 
staff  who  survived  the  typhus  fever  epidemic  of  185 1. 

In  1854  he  had  a  year  of  open-air  life  as  surgeon  to  mining 
camps  about  Lake  Superior,  where  he  formed  a  friendship  which 
lasted  for  a  lifetime  with  the  late  distinguished  Dr.  C.  R.  Agnew, 
of  New  York. 

Upon  his  return  to  New  York  City  he  accepted  from  the  Com- 
missioners of  Immigration  the  position  of  examining  physician, 
which  widened  his  varied  medical  experience  and  added  to  his 
knowledge  of  languages. 

He  was  appointed  assistant  physician  at  the  Utica  State  Hos- 
pital December  i,  1857,  and  resigned  the  position  April  i,  1867, 
to  become  superintendent  of  Hudson  River  State  Hospital. 

His  service  at  Utica  under  Dr.  Gray  laid  a  broad  foundation 
for  his  success  as  an  alienist.  He  there  learned  by  constant  study 
in  a  wide  clinical  field  the  varieties  and  intricacies  of  mental 
disease  and  developed  his  executive  ability  in  hospital  management, 
and  also  made  his  first  essays  in  the  literature  of  psychiatry  in 
helping  to  edit  The  American  Journal  of  Insanity. 


378  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

In  jNIarch,  1867,  he  began  the  great  professional  work  of  his 
life  as  medical  superintendent  of  Hudson  River  State  Hospital, 
which  position  he  filled  until  his  resignation  in  March,  1893. 
During  these  26  years  he  fought  the  good  fight  for  the  mentally 
afflicted,  and  kept  the  faith  of  his  Hippocratic  oath  in  placing 
the  interest  of  his  patients  above  all  other  things.  He  had  high 
ideals  and  firm  convictions  as  to  the  care  and  cure  of  the  insane. 
He  believed  it  to  be  economy  for  the  state  to  furnish  the  best 
possible  hospital  accommodations,  food,  nursing  and  medical  treat- 
ment, that  the  insane  might  be  cured  and  not  accumulated  as  an 
expensive  and  hopeless  public  burden.  Acting  under  these  views 
he  made  Hudson  River  State  Hospital  one  of  the  most  perfect 
in  the  world  in  its  buildings  and  general  equipment.  He  had 
superior  knowledge  of  hospital  construction,  and  personally  di- 
rected all  architectural  plans. 

Long  years  of  practice  in  New  York  hospitals  had  well  quali- 
fied him  for  the  medical  work  of  his  office.  His  broad  view  was 
that  the  insane  were  to  be  treated  like  other  sick  patients,  by 
general  principles  of  practice,  by  symptomatic  and  etiological  indi- 
cations. He  had  little  sympathy  with  the  use  of  special  remedies 
or  the  refinements  of  classification  in  insanity. 

He  had  advanced  views  as  to  the  psychiatric  value  of  different 
forms  of  occupation  and  diversion,  and  much  credit  given  later 
workers  in  this  field  might  well,  in  point  of  date  at  least,  be 
accorded  to  him.  In  1875  he  had  a  day  school  for  patients,  and 
ten  years  later  had  paid  instruction  for  them,  not  only  in  English 
branches,  but  in  languages,  music  and  designing.  About  this 
time  also  he  drew  a  legislative  bill  for  a  training  school  for  nurses, 
which  was  one  of  the  first  established  in  a  hospital  for  the  insane 
in  this  country. 

In  1886  he  went  to  considerable  expense  to  construct  and  equip 
a  pathological  laboratory  in  the  Hudson  River  State  Hospital; 
for,  though  skeptical  that  problems  of  mind  could  ever  be  solved 
by  the  microscopic  study  of  matter,  he  still  hoped  that  some  lucky 
ray  of  light  might  reveal  something  of  the  nature  of  mental 
diseases. 

As  the  chief  medical  officer  of  a  hospital  community  he  was 
highly  esteemed  and  respected  by  patients  and  employees.  In  the 
management  of  subordinates  he  was  a  strict  disciplinarian,  be- 


DR.  JOSEPH   MANNING  CLEAVELAND. 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  379 

lieving  that  severity  was  essential  for  the  protection  of  patients 
and  the  general  welfare  of  the  institution. 

He  died  of  pneumonia,  at  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  January  21, 
1907. 

DR.  GEORGE  COOK. 

Dr.  George  Cook  was  born  in  Cayuga,  N.  Y.,  November,  1824. 
After  receiving  an  education  in  a  local  academy  he  began  the 
study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  Shaw,  of  Cayuga,  and  received  his 
degree  at  the  Geneva  Medical  College  in  1846.  On  the  recom- 
mendation of  Dr.  C.  B.  Coventry,  a  professor  of  the  college  and 
a  manager  of  the  State  Lunatic  Asylum  at  Utica,  then  under  the 
charge  of  Dr.  Brigham,  he  was  appointed  an  assistant  physician 
in  June,  1848.  On  the  death  of  Dr.  Brigham,  in  1849,  ^^  became 
the  acting  superintendent,  and  wrote  the  seventh  annual  report. 

He  spent  a  portion  of  1853-4  in  general  hospitals  and  private 
asylums  in  England  and  France.  On  his  return  in  1854  he  re- 
sumed his  service  at  Utica.  The  institutional  care  of  the  insane 
in  New  York  at  this  time  was  limited  to  Utica  Asylum,  Blooming- 
dale  Asylum,  and  Sanford  Hall  at  Flushing,  L.  I.,  a  private  insti- 
tution. The  three  institutions  together  furnished  a  total  accom- 
modation for  about  470  private  patients.  To  meet  the  needs  of 
private  patients  Dr.  Cook,  with  the  approval  and  at  the  recom- 
mendation of  the  managers  of  the  Utica  Asylum,  established  a 
private  hospital  at  Canandaigua,  N.  Y.,  under  the  name  of  Brig- 
ham Hall,  in  memory  of  Dr.  Amariah  Brigham.  In  1859  the 
institution  was  incorporated  by  a  special  act  of  the  Legislature 
as  "  Brigham  Hall,  a  Hospital  for  the  Insane." 

In  185s  he  removed  to  Canandaigua.  Dr.  John  B.  Chapin  be- 
came associated  with  him  in  1858  as  one  of  the  resident  physicians. 

During  his  21  years  of  service  at  Brigham  Hall  he  treated  more 
than  1000  patients. 

He  made  several  contributions  to  medical  literature,  such  as 
papers  on  "  Mental  Hygiene,"  on  "  Inebriety,"  "  Notes  on  Euro- 
pean Asylums,"  "  Transitory  Mania "  and  "  Provision  for  the 
Chronic  Insane." 

He  was  a  trustee  of  the  Canandaigua  Academy,  of  the  Ontario 
Female  Seminary  and  of  the  Ontario  Orphan  Asylum.  He  was 
twice  elected  president  of  Canandaigua  Village.    On  the  organiza- 

30 


380  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

tion  of  the  National  Bank  of  Canandaigua  he  was  elected  presi- 
dent. He  was  also  elected  supervisor  and  afterwards  a  representa- 
tive to  the  Legislature.  He  was  prominent  in  the  movements  that 
led  to  the  creation  of  the  Willard  State  Hospital. 

As  a  physician,  in  the  management  of  all  the  delicate  relations 
which  pertain  to  the  insane  and  to  hospitals  for  the  insane ;  as  a 
citizen  of  the  community  in  which  he  lived,  and  as  a  Christian, 
he  discharged  every  obligation  to  the  fullest  measure  of  his 
capacity  and  strength,  without  ostentation,  conscientiously  and 
from  conviction.  His  life  was  passed  in  the  service  of  and  for  the 
benefit  of  others. 

To  the  circumstances  of  his  sad  and  sudden  end  which  occurred 
at  the  hands  of  a  patient,  June  12,  1876,  while  in  personal  profes- 
sional attendance  upon  him,  it  is  not  proposed  to  allude,  except  to 
record  the  fact.  In  his  last  communication  with  his  pastor  a  few 
days  before  his  death  he  referred  to  the  uncertainty  of  life  and  his 
preparation  for  death,  and  expressed  his  hope  and  prayer  that 
when  the  summons  came  it  might  be  sudden. 

DR.  GEORGE  F.  COOK. 

Dr.  George  F.  Cook  died  at  his  home  in  Oxford,  Ohio,  on 
September  23,  1910,  at  the  age  of  64  years. 

He  was  born  in  Hamilton,  Ohio,  in  1846,  was  educated  at  the 
public  schools  in  Eaton,  Ohio,  and  under  private  tutors,  and  studied 
medicine  at  Eaton  and  in  Holden,  Mo. 

He  graduated  from  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1872,  and 
began  practice  at  Somerville,  Ohio. 

In  1886  he  became  chief  physician  to  the  Oxford  Retreat,  a 
private  hospital  for  mental  and  nervous  diseases,  and  occupied 
the  position  during  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

He  was  successful  in  the  management  of  the  institution,  and 
it  was  chiefly  through  his  ability  that  the  hospital  grew  to  be  a 
large  institution,  second  to  none  in  reputation  in  the  Middle  West. 

He  was  prominent  in  church,  Masonic  and  financial  circles, 
and  was  for  many  years  president  of  the  National  Bank  of  Ox- 
ford. He  was  an  active  member  of  the  Medico-Psychological 
Association  for  many  years,  and  rarely  missed  attendance  at  the 
annual  sessions.  He  was  a  "  gentleman  of  the  old  school  "  in  his 
courtesy  and  consideration  for  others  under  all  circumstances. 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED    STATES  381 

OSCAR  CRAIG. 

Hon.  Oscar  Craig  was  born  of  Scottish  parentage  at  Medina, 
N.  Y.,  November  14,  1836.  He  graduated  from  Union  College  at 
the  age  of  26,  and  three  years  later  received  the  degree  of  A.  M. 
from  the  same  college.  He  studied  law  at  Buffalo,  where  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  one  year  after  his  graduation.  He  located 
in  Rochester,  but  owing  to  ill  health  visited  the  South  and  resided 
for  a  time  at  Savannah,  Ga.  He  returned  to  Rochester  in  1868, 
which  continued  to  be  his  place  of  residence  until  his  death.  He 
was  connected  with  several  charitable  institutions  and  took  great 
interest  in  their  management.  In  1880  he  was  appointed  by  Gov- 
ernor Cornell  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Charities  in  place 
of  Martin  B.  Anderson,  president  of  Rochester  University,  which 
position  he  retained  until  his  death.  In  April,  1889,  he  was  elected 
president  of  the  board. 

He  was  a  citizen  of  rare  worth  and  usefulness.  He  was  at 
all  times  interested  in  reformatory  and  charitable  work,  and, 
though  pressed  with  professional  duties,  he  never  allowed  his 
business  to  interfere  with  his  official  obligations.  While  president 
of  the  board  he  became  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  charitable 
and  reformatory  institutions  of  the  state,  and  none  escaped  his 
careful  scrutiny.  His  aim  was  to  sustain  and  improve  institutions, 
not  to  destroy  them,  and  hence  he  strove  to  correct  abuses  and  to 
abate  all  discoverable  errors  of  management  without  disturbing 
their  orderly  operation.  His  most  notable  work  was  in  connection 
with  the  organization  of  the  Lunacy  Commission  and  the  passage 
of  the  State  Care  Act. 

He  died  at  his  residence  at  Rochester,  January  2,  1894,  in  the 
58th  year  of  his  age. 

He  wrote  largely  on  questions  relating  to  charitable  institutions, 
and  also  contributed  many  able  papers  to  religious  periodicals 
of  the  Presbyterian  faith.  He  was  an  impressive  and  forceful 
speaker  on  all  occasions.  In  personal  appearance  he  was  dignified, 
and  had  great  urbanity  of  manner.  Kindness,  gentleness  and 
goodness  were  expressed  in  every  feature. 


382  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

DR.  JOHN  CURWEN. 

John  Cur  wen  was  born  at  Walnut  Hill,  in  Lower  Merion  Town- 
ship, Montgomery  County,  near  the  City  of  Philadephia,  Pa.,  on 
his  father's  estate,  September  20,  1821,  and  died  after  a  brief 
illness  July  2,  1901.  His  parental  ancestors  lived  in  Little  B rough- 
ton,  Bridekirk,  County  of  Cumberland,  England.  He  was  a  grad- 
uate of  Yale  College  of  the  class  of  1841.  In  1844  he  received  the 
degree  of  M.  D.  from  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  After 
spending  several  months  at  Wills  Hospital  for  Diseases  of  the 
Eye,  he  was  appointed  during  the  same  year  an  assistant  physi- 
cian of  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital  for  the  Insane.  He  was  thus 
brought  into  close  personal  and  professional  relations  with  Dr. 
Kirkbride,  whose  character  and  methods  of  administration  did 
much  to  influence  and  shape  the  course  of  his  after-life.  Refer- 
ence is  made  in  the  report  of  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital  for  1845 
to  the  establishment  of  a  course  of  lectures  for  the  entertainment 
and  instruction  of  patients,  and  to  the  zeal  and  co-operation  of 
Dr.  Curwen,  which  contributed  so  much  to  "the  very  gratifying 
success  of  the  experiment."  The  number  of  lectures  varied  from 
45  to  50  during  the  year.  Dr.  Kirkbride,  in  a  succeeding  report, 
states  that  "  the  manner  in  which  Dr.  Curwen  has  acquitted  him- 
self of  this  self-imposed  task  is  worthy  of  high  commendation." 
In  addition  to  his  medical  duties  he  showed  at  this  early  age  the 
untiring  zeal  and  capacity  for  work  characteristic  of  his  entire 
life. 

Dr.  Curwen  was  appointed  physician  and  superintendent  of 
the  State  Lunatic  Asylum  at  Harrisburg,  February  11,  185 1, 
which  he  organized  and  administered  until  February  i,  1881. 

On  the  24th  of  June,  1881,  he  was  elected  physician  and  superin- 
tendent of  the  Warren  State  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  an  office 
which  he  held  until  June  15,  1900. 

He  was  one  of  the  commissioners  to  locate  and  build  the  Dan- 
ville State  Hospital,  and  later  acted  in  the  same  capacity  to  erect 
the  Warren  State  Hospital.  He  was  appointed  a  commissioner  to 
locate  and  erect  an  asylum  for  the  chronic  insane,  but  subse- 
quently resigned.  He  was  connected  with  hospitals  for  the  care 
and  treatment  of  the  insane,  with  scarcely  an  interval,  for  a  period 
of  57  years — a  record  of  service  without  parallel  in  our  country. 
In  addition  to  official  hospital  duties,  he  exercised  much  influence 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  383 

in  shaping  legislative  and  public  sentiment  in  the  interests  of 
the  insane,  and  his  opinion  as  an  expert  was  often  sought  in  lunacy- 
trials. 

He  was  an  honorary  member  of  the  British  Medico-Psycho- 
logical Association ;  of  the  American  Philosophical  Association ; 
of  the  American  Medical  Association;  of  the  State  Medical 
Society  of  Pennsylvania ;  of  the  county  societies  of  Dauphin  and 
Warren;  president  of  the  State  Society  in  1869,  and  trustee  of 
La  Fayette  College  in  1865. 

Dr.  Curwen  was  best  known  to  the  members  of  the  American 
Medico-Psychological  Association  as  the  secretary  and  acting 
treasurer  of  that  body — a  double  office — for  a  period  of  34  years. 
To  him  a  lasting  debt  of  gratitude  has  been  due  for  keeping  a 
record  of  its  proceedings  and  preserving  its  archives  during  this 
long  period.  In  1893  he  was  made  president  of  the  association. 
He  was  a  frequent  contributor  to  the  literature  of  his  profession 
in  communications  to  The  American  Journal  of  Insanity ;  to 
medical  societies,  through  the  medium  of  his  annual  reports,  and 
on  several  occasions  through  memorials  to  the  State  Legislature 
to  urge  increased  accommodations  for  the  insane.  Although  not 
a  member  at  the  time,  he  was  the  last  survivor  of  those  who  were 
present  when  the  American  Medico-Psychological  Association  was 
organized  under  its  earlier  name  and  had  a  personal  acquaint- 
ance with  each  of  the  13  founders. 

The  habits  of  fidelity  to  his  trust,  and  of  constant  industry, 
formed  in  early  life,  continued  to  the  last  day  of  his  official  life 
and  as  long  as  strength  of  mind  and  body  remained.  He  stood  for 
the  principles  of  his  profession  in  every  effort  to  ameliorate  the 
condition  of  the  insane.  He  possessed  the  moral  courage  born  of 
honest  purpose  and  convictions,  and  the  inestimable  quality  of 
Christian  character  and  sympathy  for  distress  and  human  suffer- 
ing without  which  even  medical  skill  and  science  are  unavail- 
ing in  hospital  administration.  He  was  a  man  of  religious  con- 
victions and  an  elder  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  During  his 
official  life  it  was  his  daily  rule  to  meet  his  patients,  as  they  could 
be  brought  together,  and  to  lead  them  in  a  service  of  Scripture 
reading,  song  and  prayer,  by  which  he  hoped  to  impart  hope,  com- 
fort and  consolation  to  them,  and  to  receive  a  blessing  upon  him- 
self and  his  work. 


384  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

DR.  NEHEMIAH  CUTTER. 

Dr.  Nehemiah  Cutter  was  born  in  Jaffrey,  N.  H.,  on  March  30, 
1787.  He  graduated  at  Middlebury  College  in  1814  and  received 
the  degree  of  M.  D.  from  Yale  College  in  1817.  He  commenced 
practice  in  Pepperell,  Mass.,  in  1818.  He  had  charge  of  an  insane 
person  in  that  year,  and  about  1822  began  to  receive  insane  persons 
into  his  family.  The  number  of  patients  increased  so  rapidly  that 
he  was  obliged  to  make  additions  to  his  house,  until,  in  1834,  he 
built  a  new  and  larger  building  in  addition  to  those  already  erected. 
He  associated  with  him  at  different  times  several  gentlemen  for 
varying  periods,  until  his  institution  was  burned  down  in  May, 
1853.    It  was  not  rebuilt. 

As  a  patron  of  education,  he  contributed  largely  of  his  own 
means  to  found  and  support  an  academy  in  Pepperell.  Self-pos- 
sessed on  all  trying  occasions,  even  in  temper,  social  and  affable 
to  a  degree,  he  acquired  a  powerful  and  salutary  influence  over 
the  minds  of  his  patients.  His  interest  in  the  public  welfare  ren- 
dered him  greatly  beloved  and  his  loss  was  sincerely  regretted. 
He  died  on  March  15,  1859. 

DR.  EMMET  C.  DENT. 

Dr.  Dent,  born  at  Macon,  Miss.,  October  11,  1857,  studied  medi- 
cine at  the  University  of  Virginia  and  graduated  at  the  Bellevue 
Hospital  Medical  College,  February  27,  1879.  He  entered  the 
service  at  Blackwell's  Island  Hospital  during  the  same  year  and 
became  its  medical  superintendent  seven  years  later.  In  1896  he 
became  superintendent  of  the  department  for  women  on  Ward's 
Island  and  remained  in  that  position  until  he  succeeded  Dr.  Mac- 
donald  as  superintendent  of  both  divisions  in  1904.  His  untimely 
death  occurred  very  suddenly  January  12,  1906. 

He  devoted  the  whole  of  his  adult  life  to  the  care  and  treatment 
of  the  insane.  He  had  an  original  and  versatile  mind.  He  de- 
veloped hydrotherapy  in  all  its  branches  and  was  able,  to  a  remark- 
able extent,  to  discontinue  the  use  of  sedative  drugs  and  to  sub- 
stitute for  them  prolonged  baths  and  hot  and  cold  packs.  Bene- 
ficial results  also  followed  other  improved  methods,  such  as  sys- 
tematic gymnastics,  dancing  and  excursions.  He  maintained  his 
nurses'  training  school  at  a  high  standard  and  took  special  interest 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  385 

in  this  branch  of  the  service.  He  had  a  strong  personal  interest 
in  his  patients,  and,  although  the  most  genial  of  men,  he  was 
fiercely  indignant  with  official  shortcomings  of  every  sort  and  no 
subordinate  ever  risked  offending  a  second  time  against  the  dis- 
cipline of  the  institution. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  leading  medical  and  psychological 
bodies,  was  professor  of  psychiatry  in  the  New  York  School  of 
Clinical  Medicine,  and  was  secretary  of  the  American  Medico- 
Psychological  Association  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

DR.  OLIVER  M.  DEWING. 

Dr.  Oliver  M.  Dewing,  superintendent  of  the  Long  Island  State 
Hospital,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  died  March  14,  1910,  of  pneumonia. 
He  was  born  at  Westminster,  Conn.,  July  18,  1862 ;  educated  at 
the  Williston  Seminary,  East  Hampton,  Mass.,  and  graduated 
from  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  New  York,  in  the 
class  of  1887.  He  was  physician  at  the  DeMilt  Dispensary  and 
was  in  general  practice  for  two  years.  In  June,  1889,  he  was 
appointed  physician  at  the  New  York  City  Asylum  for  the  Insane 
on  Ward's  Island,  now  Manhattan  State  Hospital.  On  December 
II,  1889,  he  was  appointed  assistant  physician  at  Kings  Park.  In 
1893  he  was  advanced  to  the  position  of  medical  superintendent 
of  the  Long  Island  State  Hospital,  which  embraced  what  are  now 
known  as  the  Kings  Park  State  Hospital  and  the  Long  Island 
State  Hospital,  In  1900  the  position  of  general  medical  superin- 
tendent was  abolished  and  Dr.  Dewing  was  retained  as  medical 
superintendent  of  the  Kings  Park  State  Hospital.  He  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Long  Island  State  Hospital  as  its  superintendent  in 
June,  1904. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Kings  County  Medical  Society,  the 
Brooklyn  Society  of  Neurology,  the  Associated  Physicians  of 
Long  Island,  the  Physicians'  Mutual  Aid  Association  and  the 
American  Medico-Psychological  Association. 

He  was  a  man  of  determined  character,  quiet  and  unostentatious 
in  manner,  studious  and  progressive  in  all  that  pertained  to  his 
office  and  profession ;  his  greatest  efforts  were  for  the  benefit  of 
the  patients  themselves.  His  work  at  Kings  Park  State  Hospital 
is  a  lasting  monument  to  his  efforts  to  attain  a  high  standard  of 
care  for  his  patients.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  he  did  not  live  to 
carry  out  his  ideals  in  the  reconstruction  of  the  hospital. 


386  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

DR.  JOSEPH  DRAPER. 

Dr.  Joseph  Draper,  superintendent  of  the  Vermont  Asylum, 
died  March  17,  1892,  after  a  brief  illness.  He  was  born  in  War- 
wick, Mass.,  February  11,  1834.  He  was  of  New  England  an- 
cestry, both  his  father  and  mother  being  natives  of  Massachusetts. 
His  early  education  was  obtained  in  the  common  schools  and  in 
the  academies  at  Brattleboro,  Vt.,  and  Deerfield,  Mass.  After 
he  entered  upon  the  study  of  medicine,  he  attended  lectures  at 
one  of  the  medical  schools  in  New  York  and  also  at  the  Jefferson 
Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  where  he  graduated  in  1858. 
After  a  considerable  period  in  general  practice,  he  became  an 
assistant  of  Dr.  Rockwell  in  the  Vermont  Asylum,  later  the 
Brattleboro  Retreat,  where  he  remained  until  January,  1865. 

He  left  this  position  for  that  of  an  assistant  surgeon  in  the 
U.  S.  General  Hospital  at  Brattleboro,  in  which  he  remained  a 
few  months,  and  in  May,  1865,  became  an  assistant  in  the  State 
Asylum  at  Worcester,  Mass.  He  was  also  acting  superintendent 
of  that  institution  for  one  year.  In  1870  he  became  an  assistant 
to  Dr.  Buttolph  in  the  State  Asylum  at  Trenton,  N.  J.,  where  he 
remained  until  February,  1873,  when  he  was  appointed  superin- 
tendent of  the  Vermont  Asylum. 

He  devoted  himself  to  the  conduct  of  the  asylum  with  a  single- 
ness of  purpose  rarely  excelled  by  any  of  his  associates  in  the 
country.  His  first  and  last  thought  related  to  its  improvement, 
and  provision  for  the  best  treatment  of  those  who  sought  its  care. 
The  changes  which  he  made  related  not  only  to  the  internal 
sanitary  arrangements,  the  better  lighting  and  adornment  of  the 
halls  and  rooms,  but  also  to  a  thorough  system  of  clinical  study 
and  treatment  of  cases.  The  thoroughness  with  which  this  was 
carried  out  was  shown  by  the  papers  which  he  presented  before  the 
American  Medico-Psychological  Association,  the  New  England 
Psychological  Society,  and  the  Vermont  Medical  Society. 

Dr.  Draper  endeared  himself  not  only  to  those  immediately 
associated  with  him,  but  also  to  the  community  in  which  he  lived 
as  few  other  superintendents  have  ever  been  able  to  do  by  becom- 
ing identified  with  its  growth  and  interests.  He  was  the  prime 
mover  in  establishing  a  society  whose  main  object  was  beauti- 
fying the  village  which  lies  on  the  banks  of  the  Connecticut  nestled 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  387 

close  between  the  mountains.  These  mountains  he  loved  not  only 
to  look  upon,  but  to  ascend  and  look  from. 

His  friendships  were  strong  and  enduring.  He  hated  all  shams. 
His  face  and  physique  indicated  strong  purpose  and  inflexible 
resolution.  When  once  he  had  arrived  at  a  conclusion,  only  the 
clearest  evidence  that  he  was  in  the  wrong  deterred  him  frorri 
going  forward. 

He  was  in  closest  touch  and  sympathy  with  everything  that 
concerned  psychiatry  and  psychology,  and  was  jealous  of  the 
reputation  of  our  hospitals  and  asylums.  During  his  long  resi- 
dence in  Vermont  his  name  became  a  household  word,  familiar 
to  a  large  portion  of  the  people  by  whom  he  was  held  in  the  highest 
esteem. 

He  was  the  author  of  a  history  of  the  Vermont  Asylum,  or 
Brattleboro  Retreat,  covering  its  first  50  years.  At  the  time  of  his 
death  he  was  president  of  the  New  England  Psychological  Society 
and  had  also  been  president  of  the  Vermont  Medical  Society. 

ALEXANDER  DUNCAN. 

Alexander  Duncan  (1805-1889),  of  the  original  Board  of  Trus- 
tees of  Butler  Hospital,  Providence,  R.  L,  and  for  many  years 
President  of  the  corporation,  was  a  native  of  Scotland  and  received 
his  early  education  in  that  country.  Coming  as  a  young  man  to  the 
United  States,  he  graduated  at  Yale  College  and  became  a  promi- 
nent, prosperous  and  philanthropic  citizen  of  Rhode  Island.  He 
married  the  niece  and  heiress  of  Cyrus  Butler  (q.v.).  His  gifts  to 
Butler  Hospital  in  land,  buildings  and  money  were  lavish.  His 
memory  is  perpetuated  in  the  Duncan  Ward  ($50,000),  Duncan 
Lodge  ($20,000),  and  the  Duncan  Improvement  Fund  ($40,000% 
as  well  as  in  numerous  other  notable  benefactions.  He  died  in 
Scotland  October  14,  1889. 

DR.  ROBERT  J.  DYSART. 

Dr.  Robert  J.  Dysart  died  at  the  Northern  Hospital  for  the 
Insane  at  Winnebago^  Wis.,  May  26,  1914,  after  a  prolonged  ill- 
ness, leaving  a  wife  and  infant  daughter.  He  was  bom  at  Albany, 
N.  Y.,  November  23,  1872.  When  young  he  went  West  with  his 
parents,   and  received  his  preliminary  education  in  the  public 


388  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF  THE   INSANE 

schools  of  Minnesota  and  Wisconsin.  Later  he  attended  Lake 
Forest  University,  Illinois,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1893  with 
the  degree  of  B.  S.  His  medical  education  was  received  at  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Chicago  in  1900.  Until 
1906,  when  he  entered  the  service  of  the  Northern  Hospital  for 
the  Insane  as  third  assistant  physician,  he  was  in  general  practice 
in  Wisconsin  and  Dakota,  except  for  about  a  year,  when  he  served 
as  assistant  physician  in  the  Northern  Hospital. 

From  the  position  of  third  assistant  physician  he  was  advanced 
to  that  of  assistant  superintendent,  which  position  he  held  at  the 
time  of  his  death. 

He  was  held  in  high  esteem  because  of  his  direct  methods  in 
dealing  with  people,  his  consideration  for  others,  and  his  honesty, 
loyalty  and  professional  ability.  His  early  removal  from  the  field 
of  his  activities  will  be  regretted  long  by  his  friends  and  the  insti- 
tution in  which  he  so  faithfully  labored. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Winnebago  County  Medical  Society 
and  the  Wisconsin  Medical  Society,  and  an  associate  member  of 
the  American  Medico- Psychological  Association. 

DR.  PLINY  EARLE. 

Dr.  Pliny  Earle  was  born  in  Leicester,  Mass.,  December  31, 
1809.  He  was  descended  from  Ralph  Earle,  who  was  one  of  the 
petitioners  to  Charles  II  of  England  for  permission  to  form  Rhode 
Island  into  a  corporate  colony.  His  father,  Pliny  Earle,  resided 
in  Leicester,  and  a  manufacturer,  and  to  some  extent  an  in- 
ventor, is  said  to  have  done  much  to  change  the  methods  of  wool 
carding  then  in  use.  The  family  belonged  to  the  religious  body 
of  Friends,  of  which  society  Dr.  Earle  remained  a  member  as 
long  as  he  lived.  His  early  education  was  at  the  Leicester 
Academy,  then  and  for  many  years  afterwards  a  famous  school. 
He  later  went  to  the  Friends'  School  at  Providence,  R.  I.  His 
medical  studies  were  pursued  mainly  at  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  graduated  in  medicine  in  1837.  He  then  went 
to  Europe  and  spent  considerable  time  in  the  hospitals  of  Paris, 
and  afterwards  visited  many  asylums  for  the  insane  in  the  dif- 
ferent countries  of  Europe.  In  1840  he  became  resident  physi- 
cian at  the  Friends'  Asylum  at  Frankford,  Pa.     While  holding 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  389 

this  position  he  was  appointed  in  1844  medical  superintendent  of 
the  Bloomingdale  Asylum  of  New  York.  This  position  he  re- 
linquished after  five  years  of  service  and  made  a  second  visit 
to  Europe  to  further  study  the  treatment  of  the  insane.  Upon 
his  return  he  was  appointed  visiting  physician  to  the  New  York 
Asylum,  and  during  the  same  year  he  delivered  his  first  course  of 
lectures  on  mental  diseases  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons.  At  a  later  period  he  became  professor  of  materia 
medica  and  psychology  in  the  Berkshire  Medical  Institute  at 
Pittsfield,  Mass.  After  a  single  course  of  lectures  he  severed 
his  connection  with  the  institution  to  accept  the  superintendency  of 
the  hospital  at  Northampton,  Mass.  This  position  he  held  during 
22  years.  His  term  of  service,  which  closed  in  his  76th  year,  was 
marked  by  some  of  his  most  important  work.  He  had  the  entire 
confidence  of  the  directors  of  the  hospital ;  he  was  both  superin- 
tendent and  treasurer,  and  his  excellent  business  qualifications 
and  experience  enabled  him  to  make  his  administration  in  both 
positions  very  successful. 

He  was  one  of  the  original  members  of  the  American  Medico- 
Psychological  Association  and  president  in  1884 ;  of  the  New  Eng- 
land Psychological  Society ;  of  the  New  York  Academy  of  Medi- 
cine, and  of  the  American  Medical  Association  and  vice-president 
during  one  year.  He  was  a  member  of  several  state  medical 
societies  ;  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society  ;  a  corresponding 
member  of  the  Medical  Society  of  Athens  and  an  honorary  mem- 
ber of  the  British  Medico-Psychological  Association. 

During  his  long  professional  career  he  made  many  contribu- 
tions to  the  literature  of  insanity.  Of  these  may  be  mentioned 
"  A  Visit  to  Thirteen  Asylums  in  Europe,"  1841  ;  "  History,  De- 
scription and  Statistics  of  Bloomingdale  Asylum  for  the  Insane," 
1848;  "Blood-Letting  in  Mental  Disorders,"  1854;  "Institutions 
for  the  Insane  in  Prussia,  Austria  and  Germany,"  1854 ;  "  Psycho- 
logic Medicine — Its  Importance  as  a  Part  of  the  Medical  Curric- 
ulum," 1867;  "  The  Curability  of  the  Insane,"  1877;  etc. 

He  prepared  22  annual  reports  of  the  Northampton  Hospital 
and  five  of  the  Bloomingdale  Asylum.  In  1841  he  published  a 
volume  entitled  "  Marathon  and  Other  Poems." 

He  was  a  man  of  marked  individuality,  active  mind,  retentive 
memory,  and  good  judgment.     He  exerted  a  decided  influence 


390  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

Upon  those  who  came  under  his  care  as  well  as  those  with  whom 
he  was  associated  in  psychiatry.  His  observations  and  study  of 
hospitals  in  the  countries  of  Europe  and  America,  which  were 
probably  more  extensive  than  those  of  any  other  American  phy- 
sician, gave  him  a  high  rank  while  a  comparatively  young  man. 
This  position  he  continued  to  hold  as  long  as  he  lived,  while  his 
mental  faculties  remained  in  a  vigorous  condition  till  a  later  period 
of  life  than  is  common  with  men.  He  was  positive  in  his  con- 
victions, and  held  tenaciously  to  any  course  of  action  he  had 
adopted.  He  was  thoroughly  conscientious,  and,  while  never 
aggressive  or  fond  of  discussion,  was  always  ready  to  state  and 
defend  his  views  upon  all  subjects  relating  to  insanity.  He  was 
a  diligent  reader,  and  probably,  during  a  longer  period  than  any 
other  superintendent  in  the  country,  continued  to  contribute  to 
the  literature  of  insanity.  He  was  diligent,  painstaking,  and 
thorough  in  his  work  as  a  superintendent  and  physician.  He 
retired  from  the  duties  of  superintendent  at  the  age  of  yd,  but 
continued  to  occupy  apartments  in  the  hospital,  where  he  died. 
His  deep  interest  in  its  welfare  and  indeed  in  all  that  pertained 
to  medicine  continued  to  the  last.    He  never  married. 

DR.  BERNARD  D.  EASTMAN. 

Dr.  Bernard  D.  Eastman  was  born  in  New  Hampshire,  Febru- 
ary 5,  1836.  His  early  life  was  spent  in  New  England.  He 
graduated  in  medicine  from  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons in  New  York.  Soon  after  he  became  a  member  of  the 
medical  staff  of  the  New  Hampshire  Asylum  at  Concord,  N.  H. 
Later  he  accepted  a  position  on  the  staff  of  the  Government  Hos- 
pital at  Washington,  which  he  held  for  seven  years.  He  then 
accepted  the  superintendency  of  the  Worcester  State  Hospital, 
then  in  process  of  construction,  where  he  remained  seven  years 
and  constructed,  organized  and  developed  the  hospital. 

Receiving  a  call  to  Kansas,  he  resigned  in  1879  to  take  charge 
of  the  Topeka  State  Hospital.  Here  he  remained,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  two  brief  intervals,  when  he  was  removed  from  office  for 
political  reasons,  for  a  period  of  18  years. 

He  died  September  11,  1909. 


r)R.  E.  C.  DENT. 


DR.  ]5.  D.  EASTMAN. 


DR.  J.  P.  GRAY. 


DR.    P.    O.    HOOPER. 


31 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  39I 

DR.  WILLIAM  MILAN  EDWARDS. 

Dr.  William  Milan  Edwards  was  bom  near  Peru,  Ind.,  Sep- 
tember 17,  185s,  his  father  being  a  native  of  Ohio,  his  mother  a 
native  of  Kentucky.  After  an  education  in  the  common  schools 
at  Peru,  one  year  at  Smithson  College,  Logansport,  two  years 
at  the  University  of  Indiana,  and  two  years  of  teaching  at  his 
home  district  school,  he  began  to  study  medicine  at  Peru  in 
1880,  graduating  later  from  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1884. 
He  was  appointed  assistant  physician  in  the  Michigan  Asylum 
for  the  Insane  at  Kalamazoo  in  the  same  year,  and  in  1891  was 
made  medical  superintendent  to  fill  the  place  vacated  by  the 
resignation  of  Dr.  George  C.  Palmer.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
American  Medico-Psychological  Association,  vice-president  of  the 
Michigan  State  Medical  Society ;  in  1904,  associate  editor  of  Phy- 
sician and  Surgeon,  Ann  Arbor,  Mich. ;  in  1898,  non-resident  lec- 
turer on  insanity,  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  the  author  of 
many  papers.  During  his  administration  of  Kalamazoo  Asylum 
the  antiquated  buildings  were  practically  reconstructed  ;  the  colony 
system  was  developed  and  extended;  detached  hospitals  and  in- 
firmaries for  patients  of  both  sexes  erected.  He  organized  a 
highly  effective  training  school.  In  person  he  was  fully  six  feet 
in  height,  well  proportioned,  with  dark  hair  and  complexion ;  he 
was  gentle  of  speech,  winning  in  expression  and  considerate  in 
manner.  He  had  the  power  to  secure  the  interest  and  cooperation 
of  many  persons  in  his  plans  and  purposes  and  to  blend  the  most 
inharmonious  elements  into  an  efficient  working  force. 

On  August  10,  1897,  he  married  Emma  Adele  Merritt,  of  Union 
City,  Mich.,  who  survived  him.  He  died  April  26,  1905,  at  the 
hospital  of  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor,  from 
chronic  cardiac  disease. 

Two  of  his  papers  were  "The  Public  Care  of  the  Epileptics 
by  Colonization,"  Trans.  Mich.  State  Med.  Soc,  1884,  and  "  The 
Early  Recognition  and  Treatment  of  Insanity  at  Home,"  Trans. 
Mich.  State  Med.  Soc,  1899. 


392  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

DR.  EDWARD  PIERSON  ELLIOT. 

Dr.  Elliot,  first  assistant  physician  to  the  Danvers  Lunatic  Hos- 
pital, died  January  ii,  1897,  after  a  short  illness. 

He  was  born  March  i,  1856,  in  Boston,  but  his  parents  soon 
afterward  removed  to  Somerville,  Mass.,  where  his  early  life  was 
spent.  From  childhood  he  showed  a  remarkable  capacity  for  the 
acquisition  of  knowledge.  In  school  he  amused  himself  by  keep- 
ing up  with  the  work  of  classes  in  advance  of  his  own  by  listening 
to  their  recitations,  and  was  thus  able  to  enter  the  high  school  at 
the  age  of  11  and  Harvard  University  at  15.  He  easily  took  high 
rank  as  a  scholar  in  his  college  course,  graduating  in  1875.  After 
graduating  he  engaged  in  business,  and  later  for  a  few  months  in 
teaching.  In  1877  ^r.  William  B.  Hills,  of  the  Harvard  Medical 
School,  urged  him  to  study  medicine,  and  offered  him  an  oppor- 
tunity to  defray  his  expenses  by  assisting  in  the  chemical  labora- 
tory. In  the  medical  school,  as  elsewhere,  he  impressed  all  with 
his  remarkable  ability.  Graduating  in  1881,  he  obtained  an  ap- 
pointment at  the  Boston  City  Hospital  and  remained  there  several 
months  beyond  the  regular  term  of  two  years,  at  the  request  of 
the  staff. 

After  leaving  the  hospital  Dr.  Elliot  went  to  Europe  for  two 
years  of  study  in  Berlin  and  Vienna.  He  then  joined  in  a  notable 
yacht  cruise  to  Japan,  Java,  the  Pacific  Coast  and  the  West  Indies. 
Immediately  on  his  return,  in  1886,  he  was  appointed  by  Dr.  W.  A. 
Gorton,  of  the  Danvers  Lunatic  Hospital,  to  fill  the  position  made 
vacant  by  his  own  promotion.  Of  his  characteristics  and  work 
Dr.  Gorton  writes  as  follows  : 

It  was  most  evident  to  all  who  were  associated  with  him,  as  they  grew 
to  know  him  better,  that  Dr.  Elliot  was  a  man  of  rare  intellectual  gifts, 
highly  developed  by  close  and  accurate  study  and  careful  and  systematic 
culture.  He  was,  from  the  first,  painstaking  and  conscientious  in  his  clinical 
work,  and  displayed  great  capacity  for  its  performance.  He  was  an  inde- 
fatigable student,  familiarizing  himself  with  the  literature  of  psychiatry 
in  all  tongues.  That  is  to  say,  he  read  with  ease  French,  German,  and 
Italian,  and  made  himself  master  of  nearly  everything  written  on  mental 
disease  in  those  languages. 

However,  so  great  was  his  modesty  that  he  seldom  or  never  obtruded 
his  knowledge  upon  persons  less  well  informed,  but  was  always  ready  to 
put  it  at  their  service  when  requested  so  to  do.  Nor  was  his  reading  con- 
fined to  medical  literature.  He  read  widely  in  the  field  of  history,  litera- 
ture and  science.  One  seldom  meets  a  man  with  so  great  a  capacity  for 
reading  and  such  powers  of  assimilation  as  Dr.  Elliot  possessed. 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  393 

DR.  JEREMIAH  THOMAS  ESKRIDGE. 

Jeremiah  Thomas  Eskridge,  the  son  of  Jeremiah  and  Mary 
Marvel  Eskridge,  was  born  June  i,  1848,  in  Sussex  County,  Del. 
His  family  dated  from  George  Eskridge,  a  native  of  Scotland,  who 
came  to  America  in  1660  as  judge  of  the  King's  Bench  in  Virginia. 

When  a  boy  he  worked  on  a  farm  and  attended  a  country  school 
until  15,  when  he  began  teaching  in  the  schools  of  his  native 
county.  With  the  money  thus  gained  he  entered  at  18  the  Classical 
Institute  at  Laurel,  Del.  He  later  entered  Jefferson  Medical 
College  at  Philadelphia,  where  he  took  his  medical  degree  in  1875. 

He  was  president  of  the  Philadelphia  Northern  Medical  Society ; 
director  of  the  Philadelphia  County  Medical  Society ;  member  of 
the  College  of  Physicians  of  Philadelphia ;  of  the  American  Neu- 
rological Association,  and  of  the  New  York  Medico-Legal  Society; 

Immediately  after  graduation  he  practiced  in  Philadelphia,  and 
for  a  time  was  assistant  demonstrator  of  anatomy  in  Jeflferson 
Medical  College  and  physician  to  the  Philadelphia  Dispensary.  In 
1879  he  was  appointed  lecturer  on  physical  diagnosis  at  the  Phila- 
delphia School  of  Anatomy,  and  attending  physician  to  St.  Mary's 
Hospital.  He  was  elected  in  1880  attending  physician  to  Jeffer-' 
son  Medical  College  Hospital ;  in  1882,  neurologist  to  the  Howard 
Hospital,  and  in  1883,  post-graduate  instructor  in  mental  and 
nervous  diseases  in  Jefferson  Medical  College. 

Dr.  Eskridge's  health  failed  in  1883,  and  in  1884,  on  account  of 
tuberculosis  of  the  lungs,  he  removed  to  Colorado  Springs,  where 
he  spent  four  years,  and  in  1888  went  to  Denver,  where  he  again 
entered  upon  practice.  In  1889  he  was  appointed  neurologist  and 
alienist  in  the  Arapahoe  County  and  St.  Luke's  hospitals,  and  the 
next  year  began  a  course  of  lectures  on  the  diseases  of  the  nervous 
system  in  the  University  of  Colorado.  In  1892  he  was  appointed 
dean  of  the  medical  faculty  of  the  same  institution  and  professor 
of  mental  and  nervous  diseases  and  of  medical  jurisprudence, 
but  in  1897  he  resigned,  severing  all  connections  with  the  college. 
In  1895  he  was  appointed  commissioner  of  the  State  Insane  Asy- 
lum and  from  1895  to  1898  was  president  of  the  board. 

Dr.  Eskridge  died  in  Denver,  Colo.,  January  15,  1902,  of  cere- 
bral thrombosis,  from  chronic  interstitial  nephritis.  His  writings 
numbered  over  60  papers. 


394  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

DR.  ORPHEUS  EVERTS. 

Orpheus  Everts  was  born  December  i8,  1826,  at  Salem  Settle- 
ment, Union  County,  Ind.,  of  Vermont  ancestors,  who  settled  in 
Ohio  in  1795.  His  early  education  was  obtained  in  the  common 
schools,  and  he  studied  medicine  under  the  direction  of  his  father, 
Dr.  Sylvanus  Everts,  and  Dr.  Daniel  Meeker,  of  La  Porte,  Ind. 
Graduating  at  the  Medical  College  of  Indiana  in  1846,  he  later 
received  honorary  degrees  from  the  University  of  Michigan  and 
from  Rush  Medical  College. 

He  entered  upon  the  practice  of  medicine  in  1846  at  St.  Charles, 
ill.,  where  he  married  a  daughter  of  Dr.  George  W.  Richards. 
After  several  years  of  practice  he  retired  to  accept  the  editorship 
of  a  newspaper  at  La  Porte,  Ind.,  where  he  resided  for  three 
years.  He  then  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  i860. 
During  his  law  studies,  he  was  registrar  of  the  United  States  land 
office  at  Hudson,  Wis.,  and  a  Presidential  elector  from  his  native 
state. 

The  opening  of  the  Civil  War  found  him  a  surgeon  and  major 
of  the  20th  Regiment,  Indiana  Volunteers,  in  which  position  he 
remained  throughout  the  war,  participating  in  every  battle  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  with  the  exception  of  those  at  Bull  Run  and 
Antietam. 

After  the  war  he  devoted  his  attention  to  psychiatry  and  dis- 
eases of  the  nervous  system,  and  in  1868  was  appointed  super- 
intendent of  the  Indiana  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  which  position 
he  filled  for  1 1  years.  He  also  occupied  the  chair  of  nervous  and 
mental  diseases  in  the  Medical  College  of  Indiana.  He  was  widely 
known  as  an  alienist,  and  his  services  were  frequently  sought  in 
consulting  practice  and  in  medico-legal  cases,  notably  by  the 
United  States  Government  in  the  trial  of  Guiteau.  In  1880  he  was 
made  medical  superintendent  of  the  Cincinnati  Sanitarium,  which 
institution  under  his  administration  assumed  a  leading  position 
among  the  private  hospitals  of  the  country. 

He  was  a  frequent  and  welcome  contributor  to  the  press. 
Amongst  his  more  important  contributions  to  general  literature 
are :  "  Giles  &  Co.,  or  Views  and  Interviews  Concerning  Civiliza- 
tion," a  novel,  illustrating  some  phases  of  heredity ;  "  The  Clif- 
fords," a  philosophical  allegory,  introducing  impersonations  of 


DR.  MATTHEW  D.  FIELD. 


BIOGELA.PHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  395 

religion  and  science ;  "  Facts  and  Fancies,"  in  blank  verse  (a 
modern  American  epic)  ;  "  The  Lost  Poet,"  a  poem  written  for 
the  Western  Association  of  Writers,  when  he  was  over  70  years 
of  age. 

He  was  the  author  of  numerous  medical  papers,  published  in 
The  American  Journal  of  Insanity,  the  Cincinnati  Lancet  Clinic, 
the  Journal  of  the  American  Medical  Association,  etc. 

He  was  an  active  member  of  the  American  Medico- Psychologi- 
cal Association,  the  American  Medical  Association,  the  Ohio  State 
Medical  Association,  the  Academy  of  Medicine  of  Cincinnati ; 
also  a  companion  of  the  Loyal  Legion  and  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order. 

While  occupying  a  position  that  tended  to  isolate  the  physician 
from  the  profession  at  large,  he  was  remarkable  for  his  active 
interest  in  medical  progress  and  kept  himself  in  touch  with  it 
through  regular  attendance  upon  the  meetings  of  the  societies 
to  which  he  belonged. 

One  of  the  last  acts  of  his  professional  life  was  to  prepare 
a  paper  for  the  section  on  "  Nervous  and  Mental  Diseases  "  of  the 
American  Medical  Association  at  its  New  Orleans  meeting  in 
May,  1903,  which  was  published  in  the  Journal  of  the  American 
Medical  Association  for  April  16,  1904. 

In  full  consciousness  that  the  end  was  near,  he  viewed  the 
approach  of  death  in  the  philosophical  spirit  in  which  he  had 
lived,  without  regret  for  the  past  or  fear  for  the  future,  manifest- 
ing to  the  last  a  thoughtfulness  for  the  welfare  of  others  and 
a  kindly  appreciation  of  the  warm  interest  of  numerous  friends, 
whom  he  was  unable  to  see  in  person.    He  died  in  June,  1903. 

DR.  MATTHEW  DICKINSON  FIELD. 

Dr.  Matthew  Dickinson  Field  was  born  at  Nashville,  Tenn., 
July  19,  1853,  and  died  at  his  residence  in  New  York,  March  9, 
1895.  He  was  the  son  of  a  noted  civil  engineer  and  the  nephew 
of  David  Dudley  Field  and  Cyrus  W.  Field,  of  New  York,  and 
Judge  Stephen  Field,  of  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court.  He  prepared 
for  WilHams  College  at  Monson  Academy,  and  graduated  from 
the  former  in  1875.  He  graduated  in  medicine  at  Bellevue  Hos- 
pital Medical  College  in  1879,  and  was  later  an  interne  at  Bellevue 


396  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

Hospital.  He  was  visiting  physician  at  Charity  Hospital  for  three 
years,  and  for  two  years  was  inspector  in  the  Health  Department 
of  New  York.  In  1882  he  was  made  examiner  in  lunacy  for  the 
Department  of  Public  Charities,  and  in  the  following  year  became 
a  surgeon  of  the  Manhattan  Railway  Company.  For  15  years  he 
filled  the  responsible  position  of  examiner  in  lunacy  at  the  Insane 
Pavilion  of  Bellevue  Hospital  and  examined  about  2000  cases  each 
year.  He  urged  the  establishment  of  a  similar  detention  hospital 
in  all  large  cities  as  a  measure  best  calculated  to  regulate  the 
proper  commitment  of  the  insane. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  American  Medico-Psychological  Asso- 
ciation, of  the  American  Neurological  Association  and  of  many 
other  similar  societies.  He  died  in  consequence  of  disease  of  the 
heart  after  a  long  illness  extending  over  many  months.  It  was  a 
matter  of  universal  regret  among  his  associates  that  his  early 
death  prevented  him  from  publishing  the  results  of  his  studies  in 
connection  with  the  large  number  of  cases  at  the  Bellevue  Pavilion. 

DR.  LEANDER  FIRESTONE. 

Leander  Firestone,  surgeon  and  gynecologist,  was  born  in 
Wayne  County,  Ohio,  April  11,  181 9.  Brought  up  as  an  ordinary 
farmer's  boy,  he  fought  his  way  steadily  forward,  studying  at 
night  by  the  light  of  a  burning  brush  pile  until  he  was  able  to 
attend  a  few  sessions  of  the  district  school,  then  securing  such 
a  school  for  himself,  and  finally  saving  sufficient  money  from 
his  scanty  earnings  to  attend  medical  lectures,  first  at  the  Jefferson 
Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  and  then  in  the  Medical  College 
of  Qeveland.  He  graduated  from  the  latter  institution  in  1841, 
and  settled  in  Congress,  Wayne  County,  near  the  place  of  his 
birth.  In  1847  ^^  became  demonstrator  of  anatomy  in  the  Cleve- 
land Medical  College,  and  occupied  this  position  for  six  years. 
He  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  Cleveland  State  Hospital 
in  1853  and  served  for  three  years.  He  was  the  first  of  the  hos- 
pital political  appointees  in  Ohio.  In  1864  he  became  professor  of 
obstetrics  and  diseases  of  women  and  children  in  the  newly 
organized  Charity  Hospital  Medical  College  in  Cleveland  and 
in  1866  was  made  professor  of  the  principles  of  surgery  in  the 
same  college.    In  1879  ^^  ^^s  once  more  transferred  to  the  chair 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  397 

of  gynecology,  in  which  he  continued  active  until  a  short  time 
before  his  death. 

In  1878  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  Central  Ohio 
Insane  Asylum  at  Columbus  to  succeed  Dr.  Richard  Gundry,  and 
managed  to  combine  the  duties  of  this  position  with  those  of 
professor  in  the  Wooster  Medical  College.  At  the  close  of  his 
connection  with  Wooster  he  was  made  professor  emeritus,  and 
in  1874  received  the  degree  of  LL.  D.  from  the  University  of 
Ohio,  located  at  Athens. 

He  died  of  apoplexy  at  Wooster,  November  9,  1888. 

Dr.  Firestone  was  president  of  the  State  Society  in  1859-60  and 
a  member  of  the  Boston  Gynecological  Society.  In  addition  to 
his  valedictory  address  to  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Society,  numer- 
ous papers  from  his  pen  are  to  be  found  in  the  pages  of  contem- 
porary medical  journals. 

DR.  EDWARD  CARRINGTON  FISHER. 

Edward  Carrington  Fisher  was  born  in  Richmond,  Va.,  in 
1809,  and  died  in  1890,  at  the  age  of  81  years,  three  score  of  which 
had  been  devoted  to  the  relief  and  amelioration  of  stricken  and 
suffering  humanity.  His  career  as  a  physician  was  begun  in 
Richmond,  from  which  place  he  went  to  Staunton,  becoming 
assistant  physician  in  the  Western  Lunatic  Asylum,  under  Dr. 
Stribling. 

When  the  State  of  North  Carolina  began  to  make  provision  for 
the  care  of  the  insane  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  con- 
struction of  the  asylum  buildings  and  began  his  duties  upon  the 
1st  day  of  October,  1853.  At  that  time  the  massive  stone  founda- 
tions of  the  main  building  had  been  laid,  and  the  walls  of  the 
central  portion  and  north  wing  had  been  completed  and  covered. 
The  main  structure  was  completed  under  his  direction,  and  while 
the  original  plan  did  not  permit  all  that  might  have  been  desired 
architecturally  in  the  finished  edifice,  it  embodied  the  features 
most  to  be  desired  in  a  hospital  building,  viz. :  sunlight  and  ventila- 
tion, and  proved  to  be  one  of  the  best  equipped  institutions  of  the 
kind  in  the  country.  Throughout  the  construction  the  work  of 
Dr.  Fisher  was  characterized  by  prudent  economy,  conscientious 
care,  and  eminent  faithfulness  to  the  duties  of  his  position. 


398  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE    OF   THE    INSANE 

On  October  i,  1855,  he  became  physician  and  superintendent 
of  the  North  CaroHna  Insane  x^sylum.  The  first  patient  was  ad- 
mitted by  him  to  the  asylum  on  February  22,  1856,  and  was  soon 
after  discharged  as  cured.  He  held  the  position  till  July  7,  1868, 
when,  during  the  period  of  "  Reconstruction,"  he  was  displaced 
from  political  motives.  He  returned  to  Virginia,  and  about  1871 
again  became  connected  with  the  Western  Lunatic  Asylum.  The 
"  Reconstruction  "  turmoil,  which  agitated  Virginia  in  1881,  again 
removed  him  from  his  active  life  work,  but  he  was  restored  to  his 
place  in  1884,  and  remained  there  until  his  death. 

DR.  THEODORE  WILLIS  FISHER. 

Dr.  Theodore  Willis  Fisher  was  born  in  Westboro,  Mass.,  May 
29,  1837,  ^'^d  died  October  10,  1914,  after  several  years  of  in- 
validism. He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Medway  and  Willis- 
ton  Seminary  and  Phillips  Academy  of  Andover,  and  graduated 
at  the  Harvard  Medical  School  in  1861.  During  the  Civil  War 
he  was  a  surgeon  of  the  44th  Massachusetts  Regiment.  In  1881 
he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  Boston  Lunatic  Hospital, 
which  position  he  resigned  in  1895.  For  several  years  he  was 
examiner  for  the  Public  Institutions  Commissioner  of  Boston  and 
committed  most  of  the  insane  to  the  state  insane  hospitals  from 
that  city,  and  saw  many  cases  of  mental  disease  in  consultation. 
Later  he  was  appointed  lecturer  in  mental  diseases  in  the  Harvard 
)*Iedical  School.  In  the  seventies  he  was  the  leading  expert  in  his 
branch  in  Boston  and  was  frequently  called  on  to  testify  as  a  wit- 
ness in  court.  He  was  active  in  all  matters  concerning  the  wel- 
fare of  the  insane,  and  earnestly  advocated  a  new  hospital  for  the 
insane  of  Boston.  He  largely  planned  the  Danvers  State  Hospital 
and  the  buildings  first  erected  by  the  Boston  Lunatic  Hospital  at 
West  Roxbury.  He  belonged  to  many  medical  societies  and  had 
been  a  member  of  the  American  Medico-Psychological  Associa- 
tion since  1881. 

He  was  the  author  of  a  number  of  papers.  Among  these  was 
one  entitled,  "  Was  Guiteau  Sane  and  Responsible  for  the  Murder 
of  President  Garfield?"  published  in  the  Boston  Medical  and 
Surgical  Journal  in  1888.  He  could  speak  with  some  authority 
on  this  subject,  since  he  was  employed  as  an  expert  in  the  Guiteau 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED    STATES  399 

trial.  As  showing  his  interest  in  medical  progress,  mention  may 
be  made  of  a  paper  he  published  in  1889  on  "  Cortical  Localization 
and  Brain  Surgery,"  and  also  a  paper  on  "  The  New  Psychology," 
in  1893. 

Until  the  last  few  years  of  his  life  Dr.  Fisher  continued  to 
be  prominent  as  an  energetic  worker  in  the  field  of  mental  disease. 
Unfortunately  for  his  co-workers,  he  failed  in  health  and  was 
obliged  gradually  to  relinquish  the  duties  which  he  had  performed 
so  well. 

DR.  AUSTIN  FLINT.^ 

Dr  Austin  Flint  was  born  at  Northampton,  Mass.,  March  28, 
1836,  and  died  on  September  21,  191 5.  He  was  the  son  of  Austin 
Flint,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  physicians  of  his  time,  and  one 
of  the  great  personalities  in  American  medicine.  The  son,  who 
was  to  become  so  widely  known  as  a  great  physiologist,  was  a  stu- 
dent at  Harvard  in  1852  and  1853,  and  received  his  professional 
education  in  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Louis- 
ville and  in  the  Jefferson  Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  from  which 
institution  he  graduated  in  1857,  and  later  in  1885,  received  from 
the  latter  the  honorary  degree  of  LL.  D.  He  began  practice  with 
his  father  in  Buffalo  in  1857,  and  removed  to  New  York  City  in 
1859.  He  was  professor  of  physiology  in  the  medical  department 
of  the  University  of  Buffalo  while  he  lived  in  that  city  and  in  the 
New  York  Medical  College  in  1859  and  i860. 

In  i860  and  1861  he  was  professor  of  physiology  in  the  New 
Orleans  School  of  Medicine,  and  in  1861,  at  the  age  of  25,  he  be- 
came one  of  the  founders  of  the  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College 
and  professor  of  physiology  in  that  institution,  where  he  remained 
for  nearly  30  years.  He  was  also  professor  of  physiology  in  the 
Long  Island  College  Hospital  from  1862  to  1868,  and  in  1898  be- 
came professor  of  physiology  in  the  newly  organized  Cornell 
Medical  College,  becoming  professor  emeritus  in  1896. 

Dr,  Flint  was  surgeon-general  of  the  State  of  New  York  from 
1874  to  1878. 

In  1878  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  consulting  board  of 
the  then  New  York  City  Lunatic  Asylum,  and  when  this  institution 
was  taken  over  by  the  state  in  1896  he  was  made  president  of  the 

'  By  Dr.  William  Mabon. 


4CXD  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

medical  board,  and  continued  as  a  consultant  until  the  time  of  his 
death.  He  was  president  of  the  New  York  State  Medical  Associ- 
ation, 1895 ;  member  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  New  York 
Prison  Association,  1890 ;  president  of  the  Medical  Association  of 
the  Greater  City  of  New  York,  1899,  and  was  decorated  with  the 
order  of  Bolivar  (third  class)  of  Venezuela  in  1891.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  following  scientific  organizations :  The  American 
Medical  Association ;  the  New  York  County  Medical  Association ; 
the  American  Academy  of  Medicine  (honorary)  ;  Association  of 
Military  Surgeons  of  the  United  States ;  American  Association  for 
the  Advancement  of  Science;  the  Academy  of  Science,  and  the 
American  Medico-Psychological  Association,  of  which  he  became 
a  member  in  1899.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Century  Asso- 
ciation of  New  York. 

He  was  the  author  of  the  "  Physiology  of  Man  "  in  five  volumes  ; 
of  a  text-book  of  physiology  in  one  volume ;  "  Clinical  Examination 
of  Urine  in  Disease  " ;  "  Physiological  Effects  of  Severe  and  Pro- 
longed Muscular  Exercise  "  ; "  Source  of  Muscular  Power."  Two 
volumes  of  his  collected  essays  and  articles  on  physiology  and  med- 
icine were  published.  He  made  many  other  contributions  to 
medical  literature. 

He  was  married  at  Ballston,  N.  Y.,  December  23,  1862,  to 
Elizabeth  B.  McMaster,  who  survives  him  with  their  four  children, 
one  of  whom,  Dr.  Austin  Flint,  Jr.,  is  the  fifth  in  direct  line  of 
physicians,  all  of  whom  have  been  leaders  in  the  medical  profession. 

From  the  time  of  Dr.  Flint's  appointment  as  a  member  of  the 
consulting  board  of  the  New  York  City  Lunatic  Asylum  until  his 
death  he  took  great  interest  in  the  study  of  psychiatry,  and  in  1887 
he  attended  for  two  courses  the  lectures  of  Dr.  Carlos  F.  Mac- 
Donald  on  mental  diseases  given  at  the  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical 
College.  He  was  one  of  the  noted  experts  in  mental  disease  in  New 
York,  being  associated  in  most  of  the  important  medico-legal  cases 
coming  before  the  courts  of  that  state.  His  testimony  was  unusu- 
ally clear,  his  presence  on  the  stand  most  commanding,  and  "  to  the 
last  he  remained  a  man  of  active  mind,  of  varied  interests,  alert, 
incisive,  captious — he  was  indeed  a  personality." 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  4OI 

DR.  CHARLES  FOLLIN  FOLSOM. 

Charles  Follin  Folsom  was  born  in  Haverhill,  Mass.,  April  3, 
1842,  of  sturdy  stock,  which  came  at  an  early  date  to  New  England 
and  settled  in  New  Hampshire. 

His  father  was  a  clergyman  and  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth 
College,  and  for  many  years  a  professor  in  the  Theological  School 
at  Meadville,  Pa. 

His  early  boyhood  was  spent  in  Pennsylvania.  He  graduated 
at  Harvard  College  in  1862,  and  entered  at  once  upon  service 
among  the  freedmen  at  Port  Royal,  S.  C,  where  he  remained 
for  two  years  or  until  he  was  obliged  to  give  up  his  work  because 
of  a  gun-shot  wound  through  his  arm,  and  serious  bodily  disease 
which  necessitated  his  retirement. 

In  1865,  by  the  advice  of  his  physician,  he  made  a  long  sea 
voyage  to  recover  his  health.  When  he  returned  to  America  he 
began  the  study  of  medicine  in  1866.  He  graduated  in  1869, 
and  entered  the  City  Hospital  in  Boston  for  a  year's  service.  He 
engaged  in  private  practice  for  two  years  but  relinquished  it  in 
1872  to  accept  a  position  as  assistant  in  the  McLean  Asylum  at 
Somerville,  which  he  retained  until  the  autumn  of  1873,  when  he 
went  abroad  to  study  institutions  for  the  insane  in  Austria,  Ger- 
many, England  and  Scotland.  During  his  absence  in  September, 
1874,  he  received  the  appointment  of  secretary  of  the  Massachu- 
setts State  Board  of  Health  to  fill  a  vacancy  created  by  the  death 
of  Dr.  George  Derby,  which  he  promptly  accepted. 

For  the  next  two  years  his  time  was  very  busily  occupied  by 
the  special  sanitary  work  of  the  State  Board  of  Health,  and  he 
could  not  until  1877  give  particular  attention  to  the  duties  of  the 
state  in  relation  to  the  general  treatment  of  the  insane.  In  this 
year  he  prepared  for  the  report  of  the  State  Board  of  Health  a 
long  article  entitled,  "  Diseases  of  the  Mind,"  which  was  after- 
wards published  in  book  form.  It  embodied  the  results  of  his 
studies  abroad  in  a  trip  which  he  made  in  1875. 

In  the  following  year  he  was  offered  the  superintendency  of 
the  Danvers  State  Hospital  and  declined  it.  Although  extremely 
busy,  he  devoted  a  certain  amount  of  his  time  to  private  practice, 
especially  among  the  insane,  and  was  lecturer  in  the  Harvard 
Medical  School,  first  on  hygiene  and  later  on  hygiene  and  mental 


402  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

diseases,  and  finally  as  assistant  professor  in  mental  diseases  from 
1877  to  1888. 

While  secretary  of  the  State  Board  of  Health  he  was  appointed, 
in  1879,  a  member  of  the  Yellow  Fever  Commission,  and  in  con- 
nection with  the  yellow  fever  epidemic  of  that  year  visited  the 
Southern  cities.  In  the  same  year  the  State  Board  of  Health  was 
abolished  and  a  combined  Board  of  Health,  Lunacy  and  Charity 
was  established.  Dr.  Folsom  was  made  secretary  of  the  new  board, 
although  he  was  not  in  sympathy  with  the  movement  and  finally 
resigned  his  place  in  1881. 

In  1881,  while  a  trustee  of  the  Danvers  State  Hospital,  he 
prepared  and  read  an  excellent  paper  on  the  management  of  the 
insane.  During  the  same  year  he  prepared  another  paper  on  the 
relation  of  the  state  to  the  insane. 

In  1 881  he  was  appointed  physician  to  out-patients  in  the  Boston 
City  Hospital.  In  1886  he  became  visiting  physician  for  nervous 
and  renal  diseases.  In  the  following  year  he  became  a  member  of 
the  regular  visiting  stafif,  and  during  the  closing  years  of  his  life 
made  a  successful  effort  to  become  a  consultant  in  internal  medi- 
cine. In  1891  he  was  chosen  an  overseer  of  Harvard  College  and 
served  for  12  years.  In  1896  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  a 
commission  appointed  by  the  Governor  and  Council  to  investigate 
the  public  charities  and  reformatory  institutions  of  the  state  and 
to  inquire  into  the  feasibility  of  improving  their  methods  and  of 
revising  the  laws  as  to  pauperism  and  insanity.  This  report,  which 
covers  100  pages,  was  submitted  in  1897. 

In  1901  he  was  offered  the  chairmanship  of  the  State  Board 
of  Lunacy  but  declined  it.  In  1898  he  resigned  his  position  as 
visiting  physician  to  the  Boston  City  Hospital  and  was  appointed 
consulting  physician  in  1901. 

In  1899  ^^  h^d  ^^  illness  following  an  accident  in  which  he 
was  thrown  from  his  horse  and  sustained  a  fracture  of  the  ribs 
which  gave  him  pleurisy ;  from  this  time  onward  until  his  death 
it  was  apparent  that  he  was  not  able  to  endure  his  former  labors 
and  responsibilities.  In  1907  he  went  abroad  for  a  visit  of  two 
months  in  search  of  rest  and  recreation,  but  was  in  ill  health 
during  most  of  the  time.  On  his  journey  home  he  became  deliri- 
ous and  on  arriving  in  New  York  was  taken  to  Roosevelt  Hospital, 
where,  after  a  serious  illness  of  several  weeks,  he  died  August 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  403 

20,  1907.  An  autopsy  showed  that  he  suffered  from  an  ulcerative 
infective  endocarditis,  due  to  an  old  valvular  disease  of  the  heart. 

He  married,  in  1886,  Martha  Tucker  Washburn,  but  had  no 
children. 

His  friends  and  patients  to  the  number  of  70  in  the  year 
following  his  death  presented  Harvard  University  with  a  fund  of 
$10,000  for  the  establishment  in  the  Harvard  Medical  School  of 
the  "  Charles  Follin  Folsom  teaching  fellowship  in  hygiene  or  in 
mental  or  nervous  diseases." 

He  was  a  voluminous  writer  and  published  many  papers  upon 
nervous  and  mental  diseases. 

He  was  a  member  of  many  medical  and  learned  societies. 

DR.  JOHN  FONERDEN. 

John  Fonerden  was  born  in  the  City  of  Baltimore  in  the  year 
1802. 

In  the  earlier  portion  of  his  professional  Hfe  he  devoted  himself 
especially  to  midwifery,  and  became,  in  this  line,  one  of  the  most 
popular  and  reliable  practitioners  in  the  city  of  his  residence. 

In  the  year  1847  Dr.  William  Fisher,  who  had  been  for  many 
years  resident  physician  in  the  Maryland  Hospital  for  the  Insane, 
resigned  his  office.  Dr.  Richard  Sprigg  Steuart,  Chairman  of 
the  Board  of  Visitors  of  that  institution,  tendered  the  position  to 
Dr.  Fonerden.  In  a  letter  to  Dr.  Stribling  he  gave  the  following 
reasons  for  his  selection : 

In  selecting  Dr.  Fonerden,  I  was  governed  by  my  knowledge  of  his  mind 
and  heart.  In  morals,  I  knew  him  to  be  as  perfect  as  a  "true  woman." 
His  general  acquirements  well  fitted  him  for  the  undertaking,  but  his  own 
modesty  and  his  deficiency  in  natural  combativeness  made  him  shrink  from 
the  idea.  He  had  married  a  lively  lady  and  had  a  small  family,  all  equally 
repugnant  to  contact  with  the  insane ;  nor  could  he  be  brought  to  consent, 
until  I  promised  to  provide  for  him  a  separate  residence  at  some  distance 
from  the  hospital.  So  diffident  was  he  as  to  his  fitness  for  the  position, 
that  he  also  stipulated  for  the  privilege  of  resigning  in  a  year  if  he  could 
not  become  educated  to  it.  In  a  few  months,  however,  he  grew  familiar 
with  his  duties,  and  gave  finally  a  striking  proof  of  the  power  of  mind 
over  matter,  for  he  undertook  to  brave  the  supposed  dangers  of  a  mad- 
house by  the  force  of  his  will  and  a  sense  of  duty.  Cautious  he  always 
remained,  but  never  terrified.  He  had  a  calm,  benevolent,  yet  determined, 
expression  of  countenance  that  gave  command  to  all  around  him,  and 
seldom  had  he  to  resort  to  other  means  than  personal  manner  to  control 


404  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

his  subjects.  Though  his  position  was  subordinate,  the  perfect  harmony 
between  his  chief  and  himself  made  but  one  mind  in  operation,  and  for  22 
years  he  had  the  unlimited  control  of  the  Maryland  Hospital,  and  the 
highest  confidence  of  its  Board  of  Visitors. 

Though  Dr.  Fonerden  had  passed  his  three  score  and  five  years, 
he  was  not  worn  out,  and  but  for  a  local  disability  would  probably 
have  much  longer  discharged  with  energy  and  efficiency  the  duties 
of  his  position.  For  many  years  he  had  been  inconvenienced  by  a 
scrotal  hernia.  Hydrocele,  with  varicose  vessels  of  the  spermatic 
chord,  supervened.  This  complication  interfered  materially  with 
his  personal  comfort,  and,  as  he  believed,  impeded  his  usefulness. 
He  thought  of  the  surgeon's  knife  as  affording  the  only  remedy ; 
he  had  consulted  medical  and  other  friends  in  Baltimore,  and  was 
advised  against  such  resort.  In  April,  1869,  he  visited  the  Massa- 
chusetts General  Hospital,  at  Boston,  for  an  operation.  He  was 
discouraged  by  surgeons  and  friends  from  the  undertaking,  but  he 
was  determined  to  try  the  experiment,  and  an  exploratory  incision 
was  made.  Although  a  few  cysts  only  were  opened  inflammation, 
followed  by  suppuration  and  gangrene,  supervened,  and  he  died 
May  6,  1869.    He  was  one  of  the  early  members  of  the  association. 

DR.  GEORGE  W.  FOSTER.^ 

Dr.  George  Winslow  Foster,  superintendent  of  the  Eastern 
Maine  Insane  Hospital,  Bangor,  Me.,  died  January  4,  1904,  in  the 
59th  year  of  his  age. 

He  was  born  in  Burnham,  Me.,  in  1845,  but  resided  in  Bangor 
from  early  childhood.  He  graduated  from  Bowdoin  College 
in  1868,  and  received  his  medical  degree  from  the  same  school  in 
1 871.  This  excellent  preparation  he  supplemented  by  post-grad- 
uate studies  in  Boston  and  New  York. 

Early  in  his  career  he  became  interested  in  psychiatry.  He 
served  as  assistant  physician  at  Taunton,  Mass.,  and  Concord, 
N.  H.,  whence  he  was  appointed  an  assistant  in  charge  of  the 
female  department  of  the  Government  Hospital  for  the  Insane  at 
Washington,  and  filled  the  position  for  two  years,  from  1880  until 
1882.  On  account  of  business  interests  and  failing  health  he  re- 
signed to  engage  in  private  practice  in  Iowa,  and  later  in  Salt 

*  By  Dr.  I.  W.  Blackburn,  Washington,  D.  C. 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  405 

Lake  City ;  but  in  1893  he  accepted  the  position  of  assistant  under 
Dr.  Godding  at  St.  Elizabeth,  and  remained  in  Washington  until 
January  i,  1901,  when  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the 
Eastern  Maine  Insane  Hospital,  which  he  opened  July  i,  1901. 

He  was  a  man  of  high  culture  and  excellent  professional  attain- 
ments ;  tireless  in  the  acquisition  of  scientific  knowledge  required 
in  his  specialty,  and  an  extensive  and  discriminating  reader.  His 
contributions  to  medical  literature  were  of  high  character.  Among 
them  were  the  following,  published  in  recent  years :  "  Hydric 
Treatment  of  the  Insane  "  (with  extensive  bibliography)  ;  "  Com- 
mon Features  in  Neurasthenia  and  Insanity,  their  Common  Basis 
and  Common  Treatment "  ;  "  Responsibility  in  Mental  Diseases  "  ; 
"  School  Life  as  Relative  to  the  Developmental  Period."  He  was 
a  member  of  the  American  Medico-Psychological  Association, 
the  Maine  Medical  Association,  the  Penobscot  Medical  Associa- 
tion, the  Medical  Society  of  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  of  other 
scientific  societies  of  Washington,  and  professor  of  nervous  and 
mental  diseases  in  the  medical  department  of  Columbian  Uni- 
versity, Washington,  D.  C. 

DR.  FRANCIS  TAYLOR  FULLER. 

Francis  T.  Fuller  was  born  in  Granville  County,  N.  C,  June  14, 
1835.  His  early  education  was  obtained  at  the  South  Lowell  Acad- 
emy in  Orange  County.  He  taught  school  and  later  commenced 
the  study  of  medicine  under  Dr.  Hicks,  of  Oxford,  and  in  1854  at- 
tended the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  from  which  he  graduated 
in  1856.  In  the  same  year  he  was  appointed  first  assistant  physi- 
cian at  the  North  Carolina  Insane  Asylum,  and  held  the  position 
until  his  death  on  the  14th  of  September,  1894.  In  1882  he  was 
made  one  of  the  directors  of  the  State  Hospital  at  Morganton, 
N.  C,  and  held  the  position  until  1889.  He  would  have  been 
elected  superintendent  of  the  institution  if  he  had  not  preferred 
his  position  in  Raleigh.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Raleigh 
Academy  of  Medicine,  of  the  North  Carolina  State  Medical 
Society,  of  the  New  Jersey  Medico-Legal  Society,  and  of  the 
American  Medico-Psychological  Association.  He  was  universally 
esteemed  and  respected  for  his  moral  worth  and  intellectual  cul- 
ture ;  socially  he  was  pleasant,  affable  and  courteous.    He  was  un- 


406  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

assuming  in  character  and  had  an  unselfish  heart,  and  did  many 
acts  of  charity  in  a  quiet,  unostentatious  manner.  His  sympathetic 
disposition  and  his  unselfish  devotion  to  the  work  of  his  institu- 
tion were  generally  recognized  and  appreciated  throughout  the 
state. 

DR.  SILAS  FULLER. 

Silas  Fuller,  M.  D.,  was  a  native  of  Columbia,  Conn.,  born  in 
1775.  He  practiced  medicine  there  some  years;  was  surgeon  in 
the  U.  S.  Army  through  the  second  war  with  Great  Britain,  and 
after  its  close  continued  to  practice  in  Columbia  until  1835,  when 
he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  Retreat  at  Hartford,  where 
he  remained  until  1840.  Afterwards  he  continued  to  practice  in 
Hartford  until  the  time  of  his  decease,  which  occurred  October, 
1847,  aged  72.  "  His  perceptive  faculties  were  clear  and  accurate ; 
his  discrimination  was  excellent ;  his  judgment  sound ;  his  sound 
common  sense  and  good  nature  made  him  an  acceptable  visitor 
and  pleasant  companion.  He  was  not  unfeeling,  and  nature  had 
made  him  to  speak  plainly  and  directly  instead  of  in  a  round- 
about manner." 

Dr.  Fuller  received  the  honorary  degree  of  M.  D.  from  Yale 
College  in  1823.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Tolland  County  Medical 
Society,  and  several  times  one  of  its  fellows ;  was  vice-president 
of  the  State  Medical  Society  from  1834  to  1837 ;  was  president 
from  1837  to  1841.  Dr.  Fuller  was  a  skillful  surgeon  and  highly 
distinguished  in  general  practice.  He  held  various  offices  in 
Columbia,  and  represented  the  town  in  the  State  Legislature  in 
1806  and  1807,  and  was  a  delegate  to  the  state  convention  in 
1818,  which  formed  the  present  constitution  of  the  state. 

He  educated  two  sons  as  physicians :  Warren  A.  Fuller,  M.  D., 
who  practiced  in  Columbia  and  was  a  member  of  the  Tolland 
County  Medical  Society  and  one  of  its  fellows  in  1831  and  1834; 
and  Samuel  B.  Fuller,  M.  D.,  who  located  in  Hartford.  They 
were  promising  physicians,  but  died  young. 

DR.  R.  H.  GALE. 

Dr.  R.  H.  Gale  was  born  in  Owen  County,  Ky.,  on  the  25th  day 
of  January,  1828.  Graduating  when  quite  young  from  Transyl- 
vania University  at  Lexington,  he  first  studied  in  the  office  of 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED    STATES  407 

his  father,  a  physician,  and  later  attended  Jefferson  Medical 
College  in  1847  ^^^  1848,  graduating-  with  excellent  standing. 

His  first  location  was  at  Covington,  Ky.  While  in  this  vicinity 
he  became  a  staff  officer  of  the  Cincinnati  Commercial  Hospital. 
Subsequently  he  was  induced  by  his  family  and  friends  to  return 
to  Owen  County,  in  which  he  had  been  reared  and  where  his 
professional  capability  and  skill  were  recognized.  Here  he  was 
twice  elected  to  the  office  of  County  and  Probate  Judge.  Subse- 
quently he  served  one  or  more  terms  in  the  Legislature. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War  he  entered  the  service  of  the 
Confederate  States  in  the  regiment  of  Colonel  D.  Howard  Smith, 
but  his  health  failing,  he  was  obliged  to  resign  his  position  and  to 
leave  the  service.  After  the  war  he  settled  in  Louisville.  Besides 
clinical  teaching  in  the  hospital  he  lectured  for  several  seasons  in 
the  Louisville  Medical  College. 

In  1873  he  was  appointed  surgeon  to  the  Louisville,  Cincinnati 
and  Lexington  Railroad,  and  a  year  later  to  the  Paducah  Railroad. 
In  1879  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Blackburn  superintendent 
of  the  Central  Kentucky  Lunatic  Asylum,  in  which  position  he 
continued  until  his  death. 

In  1846  he  married  Miss  M.  C.  Green,  whose  death  in  1880 
preceded  his  own.  Only  a  few  weeks  before  his  death  he  married 
Mrs.  Susan  Bryant,  who  resided  near  Springfield,  Ky. 

Personally  he  was  a  man  of  commanding  size,  well  propor- 
tioned and  graceful.  Socially  he  was  genial  and  unreserved  and 
excelled  as  an  agreeable  and  entertaining  conversationalist.  He 
died  at  the  residence  of  his  son-in-law,  Mr.  J.  C.  Reid,  in  Owen 
County,  near  the  place  of  his  birth,  on  the  22d  of  April,  1883,  in 
the  57th  year  of  his  age. 

DR.  ALEXANDER  D.  GALT. 

Alexander,  the  son  of  Dr.  John  M.  and  Judith  Craig  Gait,  was 
born  at  Williamsburg,  Va.,  on  December  27,  1777,  his  father  being 
the  chief  surgeon  of  the  military  hospital  located  at  Williamsburg 
during  the  Revolutionary  War.  He  received  his  education  at 
William  and  Mary  College,  and  studied  medicine  for  a  time  under 
his  father,  his  professional  education  being  completed  in  London, 
where,  as  a  pupil  of  Sir  Astley  Cooper,  he  attended  lectures  at 
Guy's  and  St.  Thomas'  hospitals. 


408  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

Returning  to  Virginia  in  1796,  he  began  to  practice  medicine  in 
his  native  town  and  unremittingly  performed  its  duties  to  the  end 
of  his  Hf e.  He  was  made  physician  to  the  Hospital  for  the  Insane 
at  Williamsburg  in  1800,  and  filled  the  position  for  41  years. 

He  studied  his  cases  with  care,  used  judgment  in  the  selection 
of  remedies  and  kept  notes  of  the  history  and  treatment  of  cases 
and  the  results  obtained.  So  accurately  were  these  recorded  that 
from  them  his  son,  Dr.  John  M.  Gait,  compiled  and  published  in 
1843  ^  work  entitled,  "  Gait's  Practice  of  Medicine." 

He  married,  in  1812,  Mary  D.  Gait,  of  Richmond,  and  had  four 
children,  two  of  whom,  a  son  and  a  daughter,  survived  him.  This 
son  was  Dr.  John  M.  Gait,  the  second  of  the  name,  and  a  well- 
known  alienist.  In  June,  1840,  his  health  had  become  so  enfeebled 
as  to  confine  him  to  the  house,  but  he  saw  patients  in  his  room,  his 
old  patrons  constantly  applying  to  him  for  relief. 

His  last  illness  was  characterized  by  much  suffering,  but  in  the 
intervals  of  freedom  from  pain  he  noted  down  his  symptoms 
and  the  remedies  used.  On  the  20th  of  November,  1840,  he 
died  and  was  buried  in  old  Bruton  Churchyard,  near  the  graves 
of  his  parents. 

DR.  JOHN  MINSON  GALT. 

It  is  not  known  when  this  surgeon  of  the  Revolution  was  born, 
nor  where  he  received  his  education,  but  he  was  a  physician  of 
eminence,  and  chief  surgeon  of  a  military  hospital  located  at 
Williamsburg  during  the  Revolutionary  War.  In  1795  he  was 
appointed  visiting  physician  to  the  Hospital  for  the  Insane  at 
Williamsburg,  the  first  hospital  of  the  kind  to  be  established  in 
this  country,  and  filled  the  position  until  his  death,  which  was  held 
later  by  his  son,  Dr.  A.  D.  Gait,  and  his  grandson,  Dr.  John  M. 
Gait.  Beginning  with  James  the  first  keeper,  who  was  appointed 
in  1773,  and  ending  with  the  death  of  Dr.  J.  M.  Gait  in  1862,  the 
connection  of  the  family  extended  over  a  period  of  nearly  a 
century. 

Dr.  John  Minson  Gait  died  in  1808. 

DR.  JOHN  M.  GALT,  JR. 

A  son  of  Dr.  Alexander  D.  and  Mary  Gait,  John  M.  Gait,  Jr., 
was  born  in  Williamsburg,  Va.,  March  19,  181 9,  his  first  instruc- 
tion being  received  from  his  parents  and  chiefly  from  his  mother, 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE    UNITED    STATES  409 

while  he  next  went  to  the  preparatory  school  of  William  and  Mary 
College,  and  later  entered  the  college,  from  which  he  graduated  in 
1838  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  He  read  medicine  under  his  father 
for  a  time,  and  then  entered  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
receiving  from  this  school  his  degree  of  M.  D.  in  1841. 

He  began  to  practice  in  his  native  town,  and  was  almost  immedi- 
ately elected  superintendent  of  the  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  the 
office  having  been  created  by  the  Legislature  in  February,  1841. 
His  term  of  service  commenced  on  July  i  of  that  year.  He  filled 
this  position  over  20  years,  and  from  the  time  of  his  election 
until  his  death  devoted  his  entire  time  and  attention  to  his  duties. 

Dr.  Gait  was  a  member  of  the  Medical  Society  of  Virginia  and 
also  a  member  of  the  Association  of  Medical  Superintendents  of 
Asylums,  which  became,  50  years  later,  the  American  Medico- 
Psychological  Association.  He  was  one  of  the  early  advocates 
of  separate  hospitals  for  the  colored  insane,  a  movement  which 
originated  with  the  late  Dr.  F.  T.  Stribling,  superintendent  of  the 
Western  Lunatic  Asylum  of  Virginia. 

He  was  a  good  classical  scholar,  and  knew  French  and  Spanish, 
and  read  the  Koran  in  Arabic  and  wrote  several  books  and  many 
articles. 

In  person  he  was  small  in  stature,  of  much  good  sense  and, 
like  his  father,  cared  only  for  his  work,  nothing  for  money,  re- 
fusing an  increase  of  salary.  His  life  was  devoted  to  the  care 
of  the  unfortunates  under  his  charge.  He  never  married,  and 
died  at  Williamsburg  on  May  18,  1862. 

For  more  than  25  years  he  kept  a  diary,  in  which  was  recorded 
much  of  interest  and  value.  In  1843  he  published  "  Gait's  Prac- 
tice of  Medicine,"  which  was  compiled  from  notes  and  histories 
of  cases  left  by  his  father.  He  published  in  1843  ^  work  entitled 
"Gait  on  the  Treatment  of  Insanity";  in  185 1,  two  essays  on 
"Asylums  for  Persons  of  Unsound  Mind";  in  1853,  a  second 
series  on  the  same  subject;  in  1856,  "  Gait  on  Insanity  in  Italy," 
and  in  1859,  "  Lectures  on  Idiocy."  For  medical  journals  he 
prepared  many  medical  reviews  and  also  wrote  articles  on  botany. 
One  manuscript,  a  "  Life  of  Albert  Gait  the  Sculptor,"  was 
written,  but  never  published. 


4IO  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

DR.  CHARLES  FREDERICK  GILLIAM. 

Dr.  Charles  Frederick  Gilliam,  superintendent  of  the  Columbus 
State  Hospital,  died  at  that  institution  April  12,  1916,  from  injuries 
received  in  an  automobile  accident.  He  was  born  at  Logan,  O.,  in 
1854,  the  son  of  William  and  Mary  Gilliam. 

When  12  years  old  he  was  forced  to  leave  school  and  to  secure 
work  in  a  nail  factory  to  help  in  the  support  of  his  family.  He  later 
was  employed  in  iron  mills  and  as  a  drug  clerk.  He  studied  medi- 
cine with  his  brother,  Dr.  D.  Todd  Gilliam,  and  in  1878  graduated 
with  honors  from  the  Columbus  Medical  College,  afterwards  taking 
postgraduate  work  in  the  medical  department  of  Columbia  Univer- 
sity. He  spent  some  time  in  Washington,  D.  C,  first  as  clerk  to  the 
Committee  on  Pensions  in  Congress,  then  as  special  agent  and  stat- 
istician in  the  United  States  Department  of  Labor,  and  finally  as 
Chief  of  a  division  in  the  Interior  Department. 

In  the  early  90's  he  resided  at  Newport  News,  Va.,  and  was 
active  in  the  organization  of  that  place  into  a  city  corporation.  He 
returned  to  Columbus,  O.,  in  1896  and  continued  to  be  interested  in 
civic  and  medical  affairs. 

During  his  incumbency  as  superintendent  of  the  Columbus  State 
Hospital  the  institution  made  marked  advances  along  the  lines  of 
internal  development.  Many  wards  were  remodeled  and  large  sun 
porches  erected.  A  well-equipped  recreation  hall  was  opened  for 
both  patients  and  employees.  The  connecting  doors  in  many 
wards,  as  well  as  those  of  the  sleeping  rooms  in  the  wards,  were 
removed. 

Early  in  1914,  by  request  of  the  Ohio  Board  of  Administration 
he  prepared  a  large  exhibit  of  pictures  and  charts  giving  views  and 
statistics  of  the  18  institutions  of  the  state.  These  charts,  refer- 
ring to  methods  of  treatment,  admissions,  discharges,  types  of 
mental  diseases,  cost  of  maintenance,  etc.,  were  shown  at  the  meet- 
ings of  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Society  and  of  the  American 
Medico-Psychological  Association  at  Baltimore. 

He  made  many  contributions  to  medical  and  popular  literature, 
and  wrote  verse  and  short  stories  for  magazines  and  periodicals, 
and  two  novels.  He  was  a  member  of  local,  state  and  national 
medical  associations  and  took  an  active  interest  in  their  welfare. 

His  administration  of  the  state  hospital  was  characterized  by  a 
feeling  of  good  will  between  himself  and  his  patients  and  employees 
by  reason  of  his  kindly  nature. 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  4II 

DR.  HENRY  ARTEMUS  OILMAN. 

Henry  Artemus  Oilman,  superintendent  of  the  Iowa  Hospital 
for  the  Insane  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  died  suddenly  October  9,  1898. 
He  had  been  in  his  usual  health  and  had  no  premonition  of  death. 
Without  a  moment's  warning,  he  fell  from  his  chair  and  before 
assistance  could  reach  him  was  dead. 

He  was  born  at  Oilmanton  Center,  Belknap  County,  N.  H.,  on 
January  15,  1845,  ^^^  received  a  classical  education,  graduating 
from  the  Oilmanton  Academy  in  i860  at  the  head  of  his  class. 
In  1866  he  graduated  from  Dartmouth  Medical  College,  and  in 
December  of  that  year  was  elected  second  assistant  physician  of 
the  State  Hospital,  at  Jacksonville,  and  served  for  one  and  a  half 
years.  He  then  became  first  assistant  physician,  holding  the  posi- 
tion upwards  of  14  years  till  July  25,  1882,  when  he  was  made 
superintendent  of  the  Hospital  for  the  Insane  at  Mt.  Pleasant, 
where  he  served  until  his  death. 

Dr.  Oilman  was  an  authority  on  diseases  of  the  mind  and 
nervous  system,  and  his  professional  opinions  were  highly  re- 
garded in  the  Northwest.  He  was  a  member  of  the  commission 
to  erect  the  new  insane  hospital  at  Cherokee,  Iowa. 

Owing  to  his  careful  study  of  the  requirements  of  the  insane  of 
the  state,  his  recommendations  in  the  matter  of  appropriations  to 
institutions  had  great  weight  with  the  Legislature. 

His  death  was  caused  by  overwork.  For  years  he  had  charge 
of  all  the  details  of  a  vast  institution,  and  recent  events  had  greatly 
increased  the  strain  upon  him. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  American  Medico-Psychological 
Association,  and  at  the  meeting  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  in  1898,  had 
been  elected  vice-president. 

WILLIAM  OODDARD. 

William  Ooddard  (1825-1907)  became  a  trustee  of  Butler  Hos- 
pital, Providence,  R.  I.,  in  1875  and  was  president  of  the  corpora- 
tion from  1894  till  his  death  in  1907.  His  father  was  William  O. 
Ooddard,  Professor  of  Belles-Lettres  in  Brown  University,  and 
his  mother  (Charlotte  Rhoda)  was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Poynton 
Ives.  Mr.  Ooddard  was  a  distinguished  citizen  of  Rhode  Island 
and  gave  generously  of  his  wealth  and  energies  to  the  service  of  the 

33 


412  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

institution  which  his  kinsman,  Nicholas  Brown,  had  founded.  His 
memory  is  perpetuated  in  the  Goddard  House  of  Butler  Hospital, 
which  he,  together  with  a  brother  and  sister,  raised  as  a  memorial 
to  Thomas  Poynton  Ives  Goddard,  a  deceased  brother;  in  the 
imposing  entrance  gates  to  Butler  Hospital,  erected  at  his  indi- 
vidual expense  as  a  memorial  to  three  generations  of  the  Brown 
family;  as  well  as  in  other  tokens  of  a  lively  interest  in  all  that 
concerned  the  welfare  of  the  corporation  which  he  so  ably  served. 

DR.  WILLIAM  WHITNEY  GODDING. 

William  Whitney  Godding  was  born  May  5,  1831,  at  Win- 
chendon,  Mass.,  the  son  of  Dr.  Alvah  and  Mary  Whitney  Godding, 
his  mother's  people  having  come  from  Whitney-on-the-Wye, 
Wales,  in  1635  to  Watertown,  Mass, 

In  1850  he  entered  the  freshman  class  at  Dartmouth  College, 
graduating  A.  B.  there  and  reading  medicine  with  his  father. 
His  first  course  of  lectures  was  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons  in  New  York ;  the  next  at  the  Medical  College  at  Castle- 
ton,  Vt.,  where  he  took  the  degree  of  M.  D. 

He  practiced  with  his  father  at  Winchendon  for  18  months, 
until  he  was  appointed  assistant  physician  at  the  State  Hospital 
for  the  Insane,  Concord,  N.  H.,  and  until  the  close  of  his  career 
devoted  all  his  time  and  energies,  with  the  exception  of  a  single 
year,  to  the  care  of  the  insane.  In  1862  he  resigned  his  position 
at  Concord  to  enter  private  practice  at  Fitchburg,  Mass.,  but  in 
September,  1863,  entered  the  Government  Hospital  for  the  Insane, 
Washington,  as  second  assistant  physician,  where  he  proved  him- 
self a  man  of  great  energy  and  industry,  remaining  very  closely 
at  the  hospital  and  seldom  leaving  it  to  find  recreation  outside, 
except  in  long  country  walks,  of  which  he  was  very  fond.  He 
was  an  omnivorous  reader  of  books  and  was  familiar  with  the 
best  literature  of  the  day.  He  had  a  facile  pen  and  gave  charming 
descriptions  of  cases  of  special  interest. 

His  best  known  books  were :  "  Two  Hard  Cases,"  Boston,  1882, 
and  "  The  Rights  of  the  Insane  in  Hospitals,"  Philadelphia,  1884. 

In  April,  1870,  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  State 
Hospital  for  the  Insane,  Taunton,  Mass. 

On  September  23,  1877,  Dr.  Godding  returned  to  St.  Elizabeth 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED    STATES  4I3 

to  take  the  place  of  Dr.  Charles  H.  Nichols,  the  first  superintendent 
of  the  government  hospital.    He  died  on  May  6,  1899. 

He  was  president  of  the  American  Medico-Psychological  Asso- 
ciation in  1889-90. 

DR.  WILLIAM  B.  GOLDSMITH. 

William  B.  Goldsmith  was  born  January  11,  1854,  in  Bellona, 
Yates  County,  N.  Y.,  and  graduated  from  Amherst  in  1874,  be- 
ginning the  study  of  medicine  under  Dr.  John  B.  Chapin  with  the 
object  of  becoming  an  alienist. 

He  graduated  with  honor  from  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons  of  New  York  in  1877,  and,  after  a  short  term  in  the 
Presbyterian  Hospital,  was  appointed  junior  assistant  in  the 
Bloomingdale  Asylum. 

Wishing  to  enlarge  his  experience,  he  resigned  in  1879,  that 
he  might  work  under  Dr.  Clouston  in  Edinburgh  and  also  with 
Dr.  Major  at  the  West  Riding  Asylum.  Two  months  more  were 
spent  in  London  with  Hughlings-Jackson,  when  he  returned  to  the 
United  States  and  received  an  appointment  as  senior  assistant 
at  the  Bloomingdale  Asylum.  In  March,  1881,  he  accepted  the 
position  of  superintendent  of  the  Danvers  Lunatic  Hospital,  where 
he  remained  until  he  again  went  to  Europe  to  spend  a  year  in  study 
under  Westphal,  KrafTt-Ebing  and  others. 

He  was  made  superintendent  of  the  Butler  Hospital  for  the 
Insane  at  Providence,  R.  I.,  in  1886,  where  he  remained  until 
his  sudden  death  from  pneumonia  on  March  21,  1888.  He  was 
unmarried. 

DR.  W.  A.  GORDON. 

Dr.  W.  A.  Gordon  was  born  October  27,  1846,  in  New  Athens, 
Ohio.  He  was  educated  in  Washington  and  in  Iberia  College, 
Ohio,  and  was  graduated  from  Rush  Medical  College  in  1869. 
He  settled  in  Oshkosh,  Wis.,  where  he  practiced  until  1895,  with 
the  exception  of  one  year  spent  as  first  assistant  physician  at  the 
Northern  Hospital  for  the  Insane  at  Winnebago,  Wis.,  when  it 
was  first  opened  in  1872.  From  July,  1895,  he  was  superintendent 
at  the  Northern  Hospital  until  his  death  in  October,  1909. 

His  life  was  a  worthy  example,  seldom  surpassed,  of  fidelity  to 
duty,  of  devotion  to  right  doing,  and  of  consecration  to  the 
welfare  of  others. 


414  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

His  public  career,  like  his  private  life,  was  worthy  of  imitation. 
He  had  a  big  heart  and  a  big  brain  and  was  especially  fitted  for 
leadership.  His  sympathy  was  boundless,  as  shown  by  his  prac- 
tical eflforts  for  the  betterment  of  humanity.  In  his  daily  work 
as  a  physician,  at  the  head  of  the  charitable  work  of  a  county  and 
later  as  the  manager  of  a  state  institution,  his  heart  went  out  to 
the  poor  and  suffering,  and  his  active  brain  sought  to  alleviate 
their  condition  and  to  improve  their  environment. 

At  the  Hospital  for  the  Insane  at  Winnebago  he  effected  many 
marked  changes  for  the  better  in  the  care  and  medical  treatment 
of  patients. 

DR.  WILLIAM  ARTHUR  GORTON. 

William  Arthur  Gorton,  physician  and  superintendent  of  the 
Butler  Hospital  at  Providence,  R.  I.,  died  at  the  Boston  City 
Hospital  May  i,  1899,  after  an  illness  of  several  months.  An 
operation  for  gall-stones,  successful  in  itself,  failed  to  save  his 
life,  owing  to  an  ulcer  of  the  duodenum,  whose  existence  had  not 
been  suspected. 

He  was  born  June  21,  1854,  in  North  Brookfield,  Madison 
County,  N.  Y.,  where  members  of  his  family  still  live.  He  was 
the  son  of  Tillinghast  and  Adaline  M.  Rice  Gorton.  His  early 
education  was  obtained  in  Brookfield  and  at  Whitestown  Semi- 
nary, an  institution  now  extinct,  but  famous  in  its  day  for  its 
excellent  teaching.  After  graduating  from  the  seminary  in  1873 
he  entered  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  the  City 
of  New  York,  at  which  institution  he  took  his  degree  in  1876. 
Thereupon  he  entered  Bellevue  Hospital  as  a  member  of  the  house 
staff  for  18  months.  Later  he  engaged  in  practice  in  Cooperstown, 
N.  Y.,  in  association  with  Dr.  L.  H.  Hills,  now  of  Binghamton, 
N.  Y.  In  June,  1878,  he  became  assistant  physician  in  the  New 
York  State  Asylum  for  Insane  Criminals  at  Auburn,  N.  Y,  (now 
the  Matteawan  State  Hospital  at  Fishkill-on-the-Hudson).  After 
a  service  of  three  and  a  half  years  he  was  appointed  assistant 
physician  at  the  Danvers  Lunatic  Hospital,  succeeding,  in  1886, 
to  the  superintendency  when  Dr.  Goldsmith  became  superinten- 
dent of  the  Butler  Hospital.  On  the  death  of  Dr.  Goldsmith  he 
succeeded  again  to  his  former  chief's  position,  assuming  charge 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED    STATES  415 

of  the  Butler  Hospital  in  May,  1888.    He  married,  June  8,  1887, 
Miss  Mary  Elizabeth  Langley,  of  Danvers,  Mass. 

He  had  a  remarkably  retentive  memory,  a  quick  mental  grasp, 
a  gift  of  accurate  analysis  and  an  unusual  power  of  concise  and 
direct  statement.  This  combination  of  qualities  gave  to  his  mind 
a  legal  cast,  and  admirably  adapted  him  to  be  an  expert  witness  in 
medico-legal  cases,  in  which  capacity  his  services  were  often 
sought. 

DR.  JOHN  PURDUE  GRAY. 

John  P.  Gray  was  born  in  1825  at  Half  Moon,  Centre  County, 
Pa.  He  received  his  collegiate  education  at  Dickinson  College, 
was  graduated  in  medicine  from  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  subsequently  took  service  in  the  Blockley  Hospital.  In  1850 
he  entered  upon  duty  as  third  assistant  physician  in  the  Utica 
Asylum,  and  was  rapidly  promoted  through  the  successive  grades 
of  second  and  first  assistant,  until  in  July,  1854,  at  the  early  age 
of  29  years,  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  institution. 

In  1855  he  became  editor-in-chief  of  The  American  Journal  of 
Insanity,  the  first  and  for  some  years  the  only  journal  in  the 
world  devoted  to  insanity  and  allied  subjects.  Under  his  charge 
it  gained  an  enviable  position,  both  in  this  country  and  abroad, 
and  did  much  to  advance  American  psychiatry  and  to  improve  the 
care  and  treatment  of  the  insane. 

Accepting  unreservedly  the  view  that  insanity  was  a  physical 
disease,  the  medical  care  of  patients  assumed  the  highest  impor- 
tance, and  the  institution  became  more  completely  than  ever  before 
a  hospital  for  the  care  of  patients  as  sick  people.  The  influence 
of  the  predominant  idea  was  felt  in  every  part  of  the  institution. 
He  removed  the  insane  of  the  violent  and  destructive  class  from 
strong  rooms  into  the  light  and  cheerful  surroundings  of  the 
wards.  Many  were  released  from  restraint,  given  the  benefit  of 
exercise  in  the  open  air  and  brought  together  at  the  table  under 
proper  supervision.  Enlarged  freedom  and  more  personal  care, 
owing  to  an  increase  in  the  number  of  attendants,  effected  a 
marked  change  for  the  better  in  their  condition. 

In  carrying  out  the  idea  of  hospital  care,  the  sanitary  and 
hygienic  condition  of  the  building  early  received  deserved  atten- 
tion.   He  introduced  into  the  institution  steam  heating  and  forced 


4l6  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

ventilation  by  a  fan,  a  system  which  was  subsequently  adopted 
in  like  institutions  throughout  the  country. 

During  his  long  service  he  kept  the  institution  in  the  van  of 
progress  and  made  it  an  acknowledged  leader  in  methods  of  ad- 
ministration and  a  center  of  influence.  Under  his  charge  the 
Utica  Hospital  became  a  school  of  instruction  and  furnished  a 
large  number  of  men  equipped  for  service  in  the  specialty. 

Following  the  example  of  his  predecessor,  Dr.  Amariah  Brig- 
ham,  he  soon  gained  the  highest  position  in  medical  jurisprudence. 
His  aid  was  often  invoked  in  criminal  and  civil  suits  when  the 
question  of  mental  condition  was  involved.  He  was  a  witness  in 
the  most  important  cases  in  the  state,  and  his  opinion  always  car- 
ried great  weight  with  the  judiciary  and  juries.  The  trial  of 
Guiteau,  in  which  he  carried  the  burden  of  the  prosecution,  and 
his  subsequent  injury  from  an  attempted  assassination  are  well  re- 
membered. 

As  a  teacher  he  achieved  an  enviable  success.  He  occupied  for 
some  years  and  up  to  his  death  the  chair  of  psychological  medi- 
cine and  medical  jurisprudence  in  the  Bellevue  Hospital  and 
Albany  Medical  Colleges.  His  lectures  attracted  the  students  of 
his  own  college  and  crowded  the  room  with  those  from  other 
schools  and  with  physicians  in  active  practice. 

He  was  made  an  LL.  D.  by  Hamilton  College ;  an  honorary 
member  of  the  psychological  societies  of  Great  Britain,  of  France 
and  of  Italy.  He  was  president  of  the  Association  of  Medical 
Superintendents  of  American  Institutions  for  the  Insane,  of  the 
New  York  State  Medical  Association,  and  held  many  other  posi- 
tions of  honor  and  preferment. 

Dr.  Gray  was  a  man  of  large  frame  and  large  heart,  full  of 
kindness  and  sympathy,  and  readily  touched  by  the  sufferings  of 
others.  He  was  a  loving  husband  and  an  indulgent  father.  His 
kind  words  and  pleasant  ways  always  attracted  the  attention  and 
called  forth  the  affection  of  children.  In  conversation  he  was 
brilliant  and  instructive ;  his  extensive  travels  and  association 
with  all  conditions  of  men  furnished  opportunity  for  acquiring 
knowledge  which  his  retentive  memory  enabled  him  to  use  for  the 
gratification  of  his  friends.  He  was  a  natural  leader  of  men  and 
would  have  reached  the  highest  position  in  any  walk  of  Hfe. 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  417 

Dr.  Gray  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed  Church  for  many 
years.  In  his  rehgious  views  there  were  the  same  clear,  decided 
convictions  which  marked  his  whole  life. 

He  died  January  12,  1886. 

DR.  THOMAS  F.  GREEN. 

Thomas  F.  Green  was  born  in  Beaufort,  S.  C.,  December  25, 
1804;  he  died  in  Midway,  Ga.,  February  13,  1879,  of  apoplexy, 
while  superintendent  of  the  Georgia  Lunatic  Asylum.  His  parents 
were  of  the  best  class  of  Irish  people.  His  father,  a  warm- 
hearted, highly-educated,  enthusiastic  young  Irish  patriot,  joining 
in  the  ill-fated  rebellion  of  1798,  was  forced  to  flee  the  country; 
his  wife,  who  was  a  Fitzgerald  of  noble  blood,  came  with  him 
to  America.  He  had  no  fortune  save  his  talents ;  no  friends 
save  those  whom  he  won  by  his  virtues. 

He  came  to  Beaufort,  S.  C.,  as  a  teacher.  Here  his  eldest 
son,  Thomas  Fitzgerald,  was  born.  He  removed  to  Savannah, 
Ga.,  later,  where  he  taught  in  a  high  school,  and  then  to  Athens, 
where  he  was  elected  a  professor  in  Georgia  University.  He 
finally  removed  to  Milledgeville,  then  the  capital  of  Georgia,  and 
here  Thomas  F.  Green  was  educated.  The  latter  was  past  his 
majority  when  he  studied  medicine  and  began  to  practice  in  Mil- 
ledgeville, and  was  prospering  as  a  physician,  when  the  current  of 
his  life  was  changed. 

A  Northern  philanthropist  interested  in  the  welfare  of  the 
insane  visited  Milledgeville  to  suggest  and  advocate  the  establish- 
ment of  an  asylum  for  them.  He  called  a  meeting  of  a  few 
gentlemen  of  broad  views  and  generous  hearts,  and  laid  his  plans 
before  them.  Green  became  much  interested  in  the  project  and 
gave  it  hearty  support.  He  was  connected  with  the  successful 
effort  to  secure  an  appropriation  from  the  Legislature  for  its 
establishment. 

In  1846  he  succeeded  Dr.  Cooper  as  superintendent  of  the 
asylum  and  continued  in  office  for  33  years.  The  hospital  was 
small  when  he  assumed  charge  of  it,  but  it  grew  to  be  one  of  the 
largest  in  the  Southern  States  before  his  death.  In  person  he  was 
short,  stout,  of  broad  and  humane  countenance ;  in  his  youth; 
handsome;  and  in  his  old  age,  venerable.     He  was  full  of  life. 


41 8  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

cheerful,  merry,  courteous,  considerate.  He  was  a  sincere  Chris- 
tian, in  his  home  hf  e,  a  model ;  one  of  the  most  benevolent  and 
unselfish  of  men.  He  was  devoted  to  the  institution,  and  his 
success  in  the  management  of  it  was  great.  He  was  a  delightful 
companion,  a  true  and  sympathizing  friend,  a  man  to  be  loved  and 
honored. 

DR.  EUGENE  GRISSOM. 

Eugene  Grissom,  M.  D.,  LL.  D.,  was  graduated  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania  in  1858.  He  was  some  time  president  of 
the  Association  of  Medical  Superintendents  of  American  Institu- 
tions for  the  Insane  in  1887,  and  filled  important  official  positions 
in  the  American  Medical  Association.  He  was  vice-chairman  of 
the  Section  on  Mental  Diseases  of  the  International  Medical  Con- 
gress in  Philadelphia  in  1876.  For  21  years  (1868-1889)  he  was 
superintendent  of  the  North  Carolina  Insane  Asylum  at  Raleigh. 
He  was  also  a  member  of  the  commission  which  located  and  con- 
structed the  insane  asylum  near  Morganton,  N.  C.  He  was  at 
one  time  a  member  of  the  North  Carolina  Legislature.  In  1890 
he  removed  to  Colorado,  where  for  some  years  he  practiced  as 
a  physician,  alienist  and  neurologist.  On  account  of  failing  health 
he  took  up  his  residence  in  Washington  with  his  son,  where  he 
died  July  27,  1902.  Among  his  more  important  contributions  to 
medical  literature  may  be  mentioned  the  following :  "  The  Bor- 
derland of  Insanity,"  a  paper  on  epilepsy  ;  "  Mania  Transitoria  " ; 
"  Mechanical  Protection  from  the  Violent  Insane  "  ;  "  True  and 
False  Experts  "  ;  "  Deafmutism — Its  Connection  with  Insanity  "  ; 
"  The  Semeiology  of  Insanity." 

DR.  RICHARD  GUNDRY. 

Richard  Gundry,  M.  D.,  was  born  at  Hampstead,  a  village  in 
the  vicinity  of  London,  Eng.,  October  14,  1830.  His  father,  a 
clergyman,  early  gave  his  son  a  love  of  learning.  At  the  age  of 
15  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Simcoe,  Can.,  where,  after  a  brief 
period  of  study  in  a  Latin  school,  he  was  thrown  upon  his  own 
resources.  He  obtained  the  means  for  his  professional  education 
by  writing  in  an  attorney's  office.  He  began  the  study  of  medi- 
cine in  Toronto,  and  graduated  with  honor  in  1851  at  Harvard 
Medical  School,  where  he  had  the  advantage  of  instruction  from 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED    STATES  419 

and  personal  contact  with  such  men  as  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes, 
Jacob  Bigelow,  John  Ward  and  James  B.  Jackson.  He  settled  in 
Rochester,  N.  Y.,  but  soon  was  able  by  a  fortunate  legacy  to  travel 
abroad.  Returning  in  1853,  he  removed  from  Rochester  to  Colum- 
bus, Ohio,  where  he  was  appointed  demonstrator  of  anatomy  in 
Starling  Medical  College.  In  1855  he  was  appointed  a  provisional 
second  assistant  physician  in  the  Central  Insane  Asylum  at  Colum- 
bus, the  earliest  state  institution  in  Ohio,  to  fill  a  temporary 
vacancy.  His  fitness  for  the  work  was  so  apparent,  the  temporary 
appointment  soon  became  a  permanent  one.  From  1855  to  1857 
he  was  an  associate  editor  of  the  Ohio  Medical  and  Surgical 
Journal.  In  1857  he  was  transferred  to  the  Southern  Ohio  Asy- 
lum at  Dayton  as  assistant  physician,  and  became  medical  super- 
intendent in  1861.  In  1872  he  was  transferred  to  the  South- 
eastern Asylum  at  Athens,  Ohio,  then  in  process  of  erection,  to 
complete  and  prepare  the  buildings  for  occupation.  In  1874  he 
was  appointed  its  first  medical  superintendent,  and  retained  the 
position  until  1877,  when  he  was  transferred  to  Columbus,  to 
complete  and  make  ready  for  occupation  the  extensive  new  build- 
ings. This  position  he  held  until  May,  1878,  when  the  exigencies 
of  practical  politics  forced  his  resignation.  The  institution  was 
"  reorganized,"  in  consequence  of  a  vicious  custom,  to  the  end 
that  its  medical  officers  might  be  of  the  same  political  faith  as 
the  dominant  party  in  the  state. 

After  23  years  of  faithful,  devoted  and  self-sacrificing  service 
to  Ohio,  in  three  of  the  asylums,  he  was  forced  to  resign  because 
his  political  affinities  did  not  correspond  with  those  of  the  newly 
elected  Governor.  To  a  sensitive,  high-minded  physician  like 
Dr.  Gundry  the  blow  was  a  severe  one.  He  was  immediately 
appointed  medical  superintendent  of  the  Maryland  Hospital  for 
the  Insane  at  Catonsville,  and  held  the  position  until  he  died. 
His  change  of  residence  to  Maryland  was  most  fortunate.  He 
became  one  of  a  circle  of  high-minded,  cultured  and  appreciative 
men,  with  whom  his  relations  were  most  pleasant,  and  under  the 
genial  influences  of  whose  companionship  his  mind  was  stimulated 
to  new  and  fruitful  effort.  In  1880  he  was  appointed  professor 
of  mental  and  nervous  diseases  in  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons  of  Baltimore,  and  in  the  following  year  was  elected 
professor  of  materia  medica  in  the  same  college,  and  lectured 


420  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

with  great  acceptance  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  In 
January,  1890,  he  suffered  from  a  severe  illness  from  which  he 
never  fully  recovered.  Although  he  performed  his  hospital  work 
and  lectured  as  usual,  his  labors  cost  him  much  effort.  In  March, 
1 89 1  he  went  to  Atlantic  City  and  for  a  time  seemed  to  improve, 
but  symptoms  of  Bright's  disease  developed,  and  it  was  evident 
that  his  days  were  numbered.  In  accordance  with  his  earnest 
desire  he  was  brought  home  and  four  days  later  passed  away. 
He  died  April  2;^,  1891. 

He  had  great  intellectual  grasp,  and  in  debate  could  marshal 
his  forces  most  effectually.  The  list  of  titles  of  his  articles  and 
addresses  is  a  long  one.  Among  the  number  are  "  Observations 
upon  Puerperal  Insanity,"  i860;  "The  Psychical  Manifestations 
of  Disease,"  1881 ;  "  The  Care  of  the  Insane,"  1881 ;  "  Separate 
Institutions  for  Certain  Classes  of  the  Insane,"  1881 ;  "  The  Re- 
lations of  the  Powers  of  the  State  to  the  Rights  of  the  Individual 
in  Matters  Concerning  Public  Health,"  1883 ;  "  Valedictory  Ad- 
dress to  the  Graduating  Class,  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons," 1883;  "Some  Problems  of  Mental  Action,"  1888;  "The 
Care  of  the  Insane,"  1890. 

In  private  life  he  was  seen  at  his  best.  His  rich  stores  of 
knowledge  were  poured  forth  freely  in  conversation,  and  he  was 
equally  at  home  in  all  fields.  Without  neglecting  his  scientific 
work,  he  was  a  devoted  student  of  history  and  of  English  litera- 
ture. Pure  in  life,  an  enthusiast  in  his  chosen  work,  an  able 
physician,  a  profound  scholar,  an  affectionate  husband,  a  devoted 
father,  a  steadfast  friend — such  was  his  character. 

DR.  MORRIS  S.  GUTH. 

Dr.  Morris  S.  Guth  was  born  November  5,  185 1,  in  AUentown, 
Pa.  After  attending  the  public  schools  in  his  native  city  he  ob- 
tained his  collegiate  education  in  Muhlenberg  College.  He  first 
graduated  from  the  College  of  Pharmacy  in  Philadelphia,  where 
he  received  the  degree  of  Ph.  G.,  and  later  from  the  Medical 
Department  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  with  the  degree  of 
M.  D. 

When  the  new  hospital  at  Warren,  Pa.,  was  nearing  completion 
Dr.  D.  D.  Richardson,  who  had  been  elected  superintendent,  chose 
him  to  be  his  first  assistant. 


BIOGEIAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  421 

After  the  retirement  of  Dr.  Richardson  from  the  superinten- 
dency  of  the  hospital  and  the  appointment  of  Dr,  John  Curwen, 
Dr.  Guth  continued  as  first  assistant  until  1900,  when,  upon  the 
resignation  of  Dr.  Curwen,  he  was  appointed  superintendent,  fill- 
ing- that  position  acceptably  until  1910,  when  he  resigned  to 
engage  in  private  practice  in  Erie,  Pa. 

Immediately  after  leaving  the  hospital  he  visited  Europe  to 
secure  much-needed  rest  and  a  freedom  from  care  and  responsi- 
bility. He  returned  to  Erie  and  engaged  in  a  consultation  prac- 
tice in  nervous  and  mental  diseases.  He  died  unexpectedly  March 
26,  19 1 2,  in  his  61  st  year.    He  was  married. 

DR.  JOHN  C.  HALL. 

John  C.  Hall,  M.  D.,  superintendent  of  Friends'  Asylum  at 
Frankford,  Pa.,  died  of  neuralgia  of  the  heart,  July,  1893,  after  a 
brief  illness.  His  general  health,  for  some  time  impaired,  had 
apparently  been  much  benefited  by  a  recent  voyage  to  Bermuda. 

He  was  born  near  Harrisburg,  Ohio,  March  12,  1843,  of  Quaker 
parentage.  Carefully  reared  by  religious  parents,  his  early  years 
were  passed  in  the  country.  At  the  age  of  20  he  left  home  to 
attend  Westtown  Boarding  School  in  Pennsylvania.  After  leav- 
ing school  in  1866,  he  became  a  clerk  at  the  Friends'  Asylum  at 
Frankford,  and  decided  to  become  a  physician.  He  discharged 
the  duties  of  his  office  with  satisfaction,  and  found  time  out  of 
hours  to  prosecute  his  medical  studies.  He  attended  lectures  at 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  where  he  graduated  as  Doctor  of 
Medicine  in  1868,  and  was  appointed  an  assistant  physician  in  the 
Philadelphia  Dispensary,  where  he  served  one  year.  Upon  the 
expiration  of  his  dispensary  service  he  was  appointed,  after  a 
competitive  examination,  a  resident  physician  of  the  Philadelphia 
Hospital.  This  service,  with  its  associations,  was  of  great  benefit 
to  him  in  after  years.  His  dispensary  and  hospital  experience 
covered  nearly  two  and  a  half  years.  In  1870  he  settled  in 
Frankford,  to  engage  in  the  general  practice  of  medicine,  and 
soon  received  an  appointment  as  visiting  surgeon  to  the  Jewish 
and  Episcopal  hospitals. 

During  these  years  he  retained  his  interest  in  the  Friends' 
Asylum  and  frequently  came  in  contact  with  the  superintendent, 


422  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

Dr.  Joseph  H.  Worthington.  In  April,  1876,  he  was  appointed 
an  assistant  physician,  and  in  the  following  year,  upon  the  resig- 
nation of  Dr.  Worthington,  he  was  made  superintendent  and 
physician-in-chief,  a  position  which  he  held  for  16  years,  or  until 
his  death. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends  and  of  the  American 
Medico-Psychological  Association,  the  Philadelphia  College  of 
Physicians,  the  American  Medical  Association,  the  Philadelphia 
County  Medical  Society,  the  Philadelphia  Neurological  Society, 
the  Pennsylvania  Historical  Society  and  the  Art  Club  of  Phila- 
delphia. 

DR.  WINTHROP  BAILEY  HALLOCK. 

Winthrop  Bailey  Hallock  died  of  apoplexy  at  the  Manhattan 
Hotel,  New  York,  September  24,  1898.  He  was  bom  in  Utica, 
N.  Y.,  February  2,  1838.  He  was  educated  at  Jamestown,  N.  Y., 
and  studied  medicine  at  the  University  of  New  York  and  the  Long 
Island  Hospital  Medical  College,  graduating  from  the  latter  in 
1864. 

He  married,  January  20,  1858,  Mary  Kirkwood,  of  Concord, 
N.  H. 

From  1862  to  1865  he  served  as  medical  cadet  and  assistant 
surgeon  in  the  U.  S.  Army,  and  was  stationed  at  hospitals  in  New 
York,  David's  Island,  and  Fortress  Monroe,  Va. 

After  the  war  Dr.  Hallock  returned  to  Jamestown.  Later  he 
went  to  New  York  and  began  practice  with  his  uncle,  Dr.  Robert 
T.  Hallock. 

In  1867  he  accepted  the  position  of  first  assistant  physician  in 
the  Connecticut  Hospital  for  the  Insane  at  Middletown.  He  re- 
mained there  until  1877,  when  he  established  Cromwell  Hall,  a 
sanitarium  for  nervous  diseases,  at  Cromwell,  Conn. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  American  Medico-Psychological  Asso- 
ciation, the  New  England  Psychological  Association  and  the 
Connecticut  Medical  Society. 

His  wife  and  two  children,  Dr.  F.  K.  Hallock,  of  Cromwell, 
and  Mrs.  W.  P.  Couch,  of  Dubuque,  Iowa,  survive  him. 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  423 

DR.  HENRY  MILLS  HARLOW. 

Dr.  Henry  Mills  Harlow  was  born  in  Westminster,  Windham 
County,  Vt.,  April  19,  1821,  and  died  in  Augusta,  Me.,  April  5, 

1893- 

He  was  fortunate  in  inheriting  from  both  parents  a  most  excel- 
lent physical  and  mental  constitution,  made  more  vigorous  by  his 
early  life  upon  his  father's  farm.  Much  of  his  minority  was  spent 
in  farm  work,  yet  he  found  time  to  attend  the  district  schools,  and 
at  17  years  of  age  he  entered  the  Ashley  Academy,  Ashley,  Mass., 
where  he  remained  several  terms,  and  subsequently  studied  at 
Burr  Seminary,  Vermont.  At  an  early  age  he  began  to  teach 
school,  and  during  college  vacations  he  devoted  his  entire  time  to 
teaching.  In  1841  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  with  the  late 
Dr.  Alfred  Hitchcock,  of  Ashley,  Mass.  In  1842  he  attended  lec- 
tures at  Harvard.  In  1843,  under  Prof.  Rush  Palmer,  he  attended 
lectures  at  Woodstock,  Vt.,  and  later  at  the  Berkshire  Medical 
School  at  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  where  he  graduated. 

Upon  his  graduation  he  was  appointed  an  assistant  physician 
at  the  Vermont  Asylum  at  Brattleboro,  then  under  the  superin- 
tendency  of  Dr.  William  H.  Rockwell. 

In  the  spring  of  1845,  upon  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Isaac  Hall, 
then  superintendent  of  the  Maine  Insane  Hospital,  he  was  ap- 
pointed assistant  physician  under  Dr.  James  Bates,  Dr.  Hall's 
successor.  He  there  entered  upon  his  life  work,  which  covered 
a  period  of  nearly  40  years. 

He  ably  filled  the  position  of  assistant  physician  until  the  dis- 
astrous fire  during  the  winter  of  1850  destroyed  almost  the  entire 
hospital.  After  this  fire  the  superintendent  was  instructed  by 
the  trustees  to  visit  the  various  hospitals  in  the  New  England  and 
Middle  States  to  ascertain  improved  methods  of  construction. 
This  procedure  left  Dr.  Harlow  as  acting  superintendent,  and 
upon  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Bates,  a  few  months  subsequently, 
he  was  appointed  his  successor,  and  held  the  position  for  33  years. 

The  demands  made  upon  his  physical  and  mental  strength  were 
excessive  in  rebuilding  and  reconstructing  the  new  institution 
from  its  former  ashes.  Although  the  labor  was  great,  with 
courage  and  in  the  face  of  many  obstacles  he  commenced  his  task, 
and  for  20  years  his  energies  were  entirely  engrossed  in  provid- 


424  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

ing  increased  accommodations  for  the  treatment  of  patients  by 
the  construction  of  additional  wings  and  in  the  introduction  of 
new  methods  of  heating  and  ventilation. 

Possessing  indomitable  energy,  keen  perception  and  a  sympa- 
thetic nature,  he  was  exceedingly  qualified  to  care  for  the  insane. 
He  was  kind  yet  firm  in  his  discipline,  and  impressed  his  patients 
with  the  belief  that  he  was  seeking  their  best  good,  and  held  their 
respect  and  love. 

GEORGE  L.  HARRISON. 

George  L.  Harrison,  Esq.,  of  Philadelphia,  was  born  in  1812 
and  died  in  1885,  at  the  age  of  73  years.  Originally  educated  as 
a  lawyer,  he  soon  became  a  sugar  refiner  and  merchant,  and 
amassed  a  large  fortune,  which  enabled  him  to  devote  his  later 
years  to  philanthropic  work.  He  was  appointed  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Public  Charities  of  Pennsylvania,  and  for  many  years 
was  its  president.  In  the  performance  of  the  duties  of  this  posi- 
tion he  displayed  great  zeal  and  energy  and  breadth  of  vision. 

The  list  of  his  published  writings  is  a  long  one.  He  wrote  on 
"  Compulsory  Education  "  ;  "  Prison  Discipline  "  ;  "  Benevolence 
in  Punishment "  ;  "  Provision  for  the  Poor  "  ;  "  Crime  and  Public 
Economy  "  ;  "  Prison  Reform  "  ;  "  Insane  Hospitals  "  ;  "  Provision 
for  Insane  Poor,"  etc.  His  most  elaborate  work,  however,  was 
"Legislation  in  Insanity,"  a  volume  of  iioo  pages,  containing  a 
compilation  of  the  statutes  regarding  the  lunacy  legislation  of  the 
United  States,  Canada,  England,  France,  Germany  and  Russia. 
This  was  compiled  by  himself,  and  the  expenses  of  collecting 
material  and  publishing  and  distributing  the  bulky  volume  were 
also  borne  by  himself  personally.  The  appendix  containing  the  re- 
port made  by  the  commission  appointed  by  Governor  Hoyt  gives  an 
excellent  impression  of  the  sympathetic  and  far-seeing  character 
of  his  efforts  to  improve  the  condition  of  the  dependent  insane. 

In  1881  he  was  appointed  a  commissioner  by  the  Governor  of 
Pennsylvania  to  visit  England  to  arrange  for  the  transfer  of  the 
remains  of  William  Penn  to  Philadelphia.  Although,  owing  to 
the  objections  of  the  descendants  of  Penn,  he  did  not  succeed  in 
his  mission,  he  won  the  respect  of  all  by  his  cautious  handhng  of 
the  matter.  In  his  memory  his  son,  C.  C.  Harrison,  provost  of  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  established  "  The  George  Leib  Harri- 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  425 

son  Foundation  for  the  Encouragement  of  Liberal  Studies  and 
the  Advancement  of  Knowledge "  to  provide  fellowships  and 
scholarships  for  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  with  an  endow- 
ment of  $500,000. 

DR.  J.  C.  HAWTHORNE. 

Dr.  J.  C.  Hawthorne,  of  the  Oregon  Asylum  for  the  Insane, 
died  of  apoplexy  on  Tuesday,  February  15,  1880,  at  the  age  of 
61.  He  was  born  at  Meadville,  Pa.,  March  12,  1819.  In  1850  he 
went  to  California,  and  in  the  year  following  commenced  the 
practice  of  medicine  in  that  state. 

In  1857  Dr.  Hawthorne  removed  to  Portland,  Ore.,  and  in  1858, 
associated  with  Dr.  A.  M.  Loryea,  assumed  charge  of  the  County 
Hospital.  Subsequently  they  took  care  of  the  insane  of  Oregon, 
by  contract,  an  arrangement  which  continued  in  force  for  several 
years. 

He  was  engaged  in  the  care  and  cure  of  the  insane  of  Oregon 
for  a  period  of  20  years,  and  while  he  had  a  large  pecuniary  in- 
terest in  his  contract  with  the  state,  he  never  let  this  fact  interfere 
with  his  duty  towards  those  under  his  charge.  Always  loving, 
kind  and  gentle,  he  was  especially  generous  and  hberal  in  pro- 
viding means  for  lightening  the  burden  caused  by  disease,  and 
when  he  died  his  former  patients  mourned  him  as  one  who  could 
not  be  replaced. 

THOMAS  R.  HAZARD. 

Thomas  Robinson  Hazard  (Shepherd  Tom),  the  grandson  of 
"  College  Tom"  and  son  of  Rowland  Hazard,  of  Peace  Dale,  R.  I., 
was  born  January  3,  1797. 

He  was  sent  to  Westtown  School,  a  Quaker  school  near  Phila- 
delphia, for  three  years,  from  1808  to  1811. 

After  his  return  from  school  to  Peace  Dale  he  used  to  ride 
about  the  countryside  on  horseback,  distributing  carded  bats  of 
wool  and  collecting  the  yarn  spun  from  it,  to  be  woven  in  the  mill 
at  Peace  Dale.  He  thus  became  intimately  acquainted  with  the 
whole  district,  and  developed  powers  of  close  observation.  In 
1 82 1  he  established  a  woolen  mill,  which  he  conducted  with  so 
much  ability  that  he  was  able  to  retire  from  business  with  a 
competency  17  years  later.     He  had  a  quick  sympathy  with  the 


426  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

needy  and  neglected.  After  meeting  with  certain  eminent  philan- 
thropists, among  whom  was  Dorothea  Dix,  then  becoming  active 
with  regard  to  the  condition  of  the  insane,  he  vigorously  took 
up  the  question  of  the  condition  of  the  insane,  and  in  1851  in  a 
report  on  this  subject  forcibly  set  forth  the  congested  condition 
of  the  poor  in  the  almshouses  in  the  State  of  Rhode  Island  and  the 
terrible  neglect  of  the  insane  and  imbecile.  His  report  is  a  model 
of  thoroughness  and  had  great  influence  upon  the  public  and  ac- 
complished much  for  the  better  care  of  the  insane  in  Rhode  Island.' 

In  1838  he  married  Frances  Minturn,  and  settled  at  Vaucluse, 
near  Newport.  After  the  death  of  his  wife  in  1854  he  turned  to 
Spiritualism  for  comfort  and  became  a  liberal  contributor  to  that 
faith.    He  died  in  New  York,  March  26,  1886. 

He  was  always  an  active  pamphleteer,  and  continued  his  literary 
activit}'  throughout  his  long  life.  His  best  known  books  are 
entitled  "  Recollections  of  the  Olden  Time,  etc.,"  and  "  The  Jonny 
Cake  Papers,"  both  containing  records  of  local  history  and  tradi- 
tion of  great  interest  and  merit.  He  also  wrote  a  series  of  papers 
which  he  afterwards  published  under  the  title,  "  A  Constitutional 
Manual :  Negro  Slavery  and  the  Constitution,"  upon  the  model  of 
\\'ashington's  Farewell  Address.  The  Providence  Journal  in  1878 
said  that  he  had  rendered  four  distinguished  services :  First,  his 
labors  in  behalf  of  the  poor  and  insane;  second,  his  successful 
campaign  against  capital  punishment ;  third,  his  advocacy  and 
support  of  African  colonization ;  fourth,  the  origination  of  the 
movement  to  relieve  the  Irish  famine. 

DR.  FRANK  CRAMPTON  HOYT. 

Frank  Crampton  Hoyt  was  born  in  Denver,  Colo.,  November 
17,  1859.  He  graduated  in  medicine  at  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  at  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  in  1881.  Afterwards  he  pur- 
sued a  course  of  study  in  pathology  at  the  University  of  Kentucky 
at  Louisville.  He  founded  and  edited  the  St.  Joseph  Medical 
Herald.  He  had  a  scholarly  mind  and  a  talent  for  writing,  as  was 
shown  by  the  numerous  papers  which  he  read  before  medical 
societies  and  his  reports  as  superintendent  of  the  hospitals  at 

'  This  report  will  be  found  in  an  appendix  to  the  "  History  of  the  Care 
of  the  Insane  "  in  Rhode  Island,  Vol.  Ill,  page  572. 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  427 

Clarinda  and  Mt.  Pleasant.  In  September,  1887,  he  was  appointed 
third  assistant  physician  in  charge  of  pathology  at  the  state  hos- 
pital at  St.  Joseph,  Mo.  Here  for  a  period  of  nearly  six  years 
he  carried  on  the  work  of  the  pathological  department  systemati- 
cally and  efficiently,  obtaining  and  carefully  studying  much  valu- 
able material.  As  a  result  of  these  studies  he  published  subse- 
quently papers  on  "  Pachymeningitis  Hemorrhagica,"  "  Tropho- 
Neuroses  in  the  Insane,"  and  "  The  Tropho-Neuroses  of  Paretic 
Dementia." 

In  1893  h^  was  appointed  medical  superintendent  of  the  Iowa 
State  Hospital  at  Clarinda,  and  his  administration  of  the  institu- 
tion was  most  successful.  While  in  Clarinda  he  organized  an 
excellent  band  to  furnish  out-of-door  music  in  summer  and  an 
orchestra  for  indoor  and  winter  evening  entertainment.  He  also 
inaugurated  a  military  drill  for  patients  under  a  competent  drill- 
master.  He  also  carried  on  mechanical  industries  for  patients, 
such  as  manufacturing  clothing,  shoes,  brushes,  brooms,  furniture 
of  all  kinds,  to  a  greater  extent  than  any  other  state  hospital  of 
equal  size ;  in  addition,  farm  and  garden  operations  were  largely 
engaged  in. 

In  September,  1898,  he  resigned  and  removed  to  Chicago,  but 
was  almost  immediately  recalled  to  Iowa  to  assume  charge  of  the 
Hospital  for  the  Insane  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  owing  to  the  death 
of  Dr.  H.  A.  Oilman.  His  administration  at  Mt.  Pleasant  was 
also  successful.  He  introduced  many  improvements,  such  as 
forced  ventilation,  electric  lighting,  new  and  larger  kitchens,  an 
associate  dining  room  and  an  ample  water  supply. 

He  married  in  1883  Miss  Mattie  Price  Garner,  of  Richmond, 
Mo.,  who,  with  three  children,  survived  him. 

He  died  suddenly  in  Kansas  City,  May  21,  1901. 

DR.  DANIEL  E.  HUGHES. 

Dr.  Daniel  E.  Hughes,  who  died  October  27,  1902,  after  a 
service  of  12  years  at  the  Philadelphia  Hospital  as  resident  phy- 
sician-in-chief, both  of  the  hospital  and  of  the  insane  department, 
was  an  efficient  and  zealous  official,  whose  untiring  work  will 
long  be  gratefully  remembered.  He  had  great  executive  ability 
and  was  blessed  with  an  insight  into  character  which  enabled  him 

34 


428  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

to  develop  the  best  energies  of  the  resident  physicians  and  other 
officers  who  worked  under  him  and  with  him.  He  was  graduated 
from  Jefferson  Medical  College  in  1878.  He  was  the  author  of 
a  compend  of  the  practice  of  medicine,  which  passed  through 
numerous  editions.  He  filled  his  difficult  position  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  the  Bureau  of  Charities,  and  also  won  the  respect  of 
the  medical  staff ;  by  his  patients  he  was  affectionately  regarded  as 
a  friend  and  helper.  A  tablet  in  bronze,  commemorative  of  the 
worth  of  Dr.  Hughes  and  of  his  service  to  the  Philadelphia  Hos- 
pital, was  placed  in  the  hall  of  the  administrative  building  on 
December  27,  1904,  with  suitable  exercises. 

DR.  EDWARD  REYNOLDS  HUN. 

Edward  Reynolds  Hun,  Albany,  N.  Y.,  son  of  Dr.  Thomas  Hun, 
of  Albany,  was  born  in  that  city  April  17,  1842.  He  was  educated 
at  the  Albany  Academy ;  at  Churchill's  School  at  Sing  Sing ;  at 
Dummer  Academy,  Byfield,  Mass.,  and  at  Harvard  College  (class 
of  1863),  and  studied  medicine  in  Albany  Medical  College,  and  in 
the  Medical  Department  of  Columbia  University,  where  he  grad- 
uated in  1866.  Subsequently  he  visited  Europe  and  continued  his 
studies  in  London  and  Paris.  On  his  return  he  settled  in  Albany 
and  engaged  in  general  practice.  He  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Albany  Medical  Society  in  1867 ;  of  the  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciation in  1870 ;  and  of  the  Medical  Society  of  the  State  of  New 
York  in  1873,  of  which  he  was  secretary  in  1875 ;  of  the  New 
York  Society  of  Neurology  and  Electrology  in  1873 ;  of  the  New 
York  Neurological  Society  in  1874;  and  of  the  American  Neuro- 
logical Society  in  1876.  In  1875  he  was  elected  to  the  chair  of 
nervous  diseases  in  the  Albany  Medical  College.  He  translated 
Bouchard's  "  Secondary  Degenerations  of  the  Spinal  Cord,"  1869, 
and  was  the  author  of  "  Trichina-Spiralis,"  1869;  "  Pulse  of  the 
Insane,"  1870;  "  Haematoma  Auris,"  1870,  and  various  contribu- 
tions to  medical  journals.  He  held  the  position  of  attending  phy- 
sician of  St.  Peter's  Hospital,  and  since  1876  that  of  physician  to 
the  Albany  Hospital.  He  was  appointed  special  pathologist  to  the 
New  York  State  Lunatic  Asylum  at  Utica  in  1868  and  held  the 
position  until  1873,  when  he  resigned  to  connect  himself  with  the 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  429 

chair  of  nervous  diseases  in  the  Albany  Medical  College.     In 
April,  1874,  he  married  Caroline  de  Forrest  Gale,  of  Troy,  N.  Y. 
His  health  soon  failed  and  for  some  years  he  was  unable  to 
follow  his  profession.    He  died  March  14,  1880. 

ROBERT  HALE  IVES. 

Robert  Hale  Ives  (1799-1875),  charter  member  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  of  Butler  Hospital,  Providence,  R.  I.,  and  continuously 
its  secretary  till  his  death,  was  the  son  of  Thomas  Poynton  and 
Hope  Brown  Ives,  his  mother  being  the  daughter  of  Nicholas 
Brown,  founder  of  the  hospital.  He  was  a  liberal  contributor  to 
the  institution  and  his  memory  endures  in  the  Robert  Hale  Ives 
Beneficiary  Fund  of  over  $66,000,  as  well  as  in  other  benefactions. 

DR.  EDWARD  JARVIS. 

Dr.  Edward  Jarvis  was  born  in  Concord,  Mass.,  on  January  9, 
1802.  He  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1826  and  took  his 
degree  in  medicine  in  1830.  He  practiced  medicine  two  years  in 
Northfield,  Mass.,  five  years  in  Concord,  Mass.,  and  five  years  in 
Louisville,  Ky.,  with  but  moderate  success.  His  tastes  inclined  to 
the  study  of  mental  science  and  anthropology.  He  was  early  inter- 
ested in  the  cause  of  education  and  started  public  libraries  in 
Concord  and  Louisville.  In  1836,  while  at  Concord,  he  received 
an  insane  young  man  from  Cambridge  into  his  house  for  treat- 
ment. Several  other  patients  were  afterwards  received  for  the 
same  purpose,  and  he  became  interested  in  the  treatment  of  insan- 
ity, which  specialty  he  resumed  when  he  established  a  permanent 
home  in  Dorchester  and  continued  it  for  many  years  successfully. 
Dr.  Jarvis  was  disappointed  several  times  in  his  candidacy  for  the 
superintendency  of  public  hospitals  for  the  insane  in  Massachu- 
setts, a  position  for  which  he  brought  the  highest  recommendations 
and  towards  which  his  tastes  were  strongly  inclined.  Although  he 
felt  these  disappointments  keenly,  he  was  not  deterred  from  pur- 
suing his  favorite  studies  as  far  as  possible  in  the  community  at 
large. 

In  1840  his  attention  had  been  directed  to  the  apparently  exces- 
sive amount  of  insanity  among  the  free  colored  population  of 
the  North.    This  excess,  which  had  been  used  by  speakers  in  Con- 


430  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

gress  to  show  the  probable  effect  of  emancipation  upon  the  negro, 
he  pointed  out  to  be  due  to  gross  errors  in  the  census  of  1840. 
His  aid  was  accordingly  solicited  in  the  preparation  of  the  census 
of  1850,  and  although  without  official  authority  and  pecuniary  re- 
turn, he  gave  one-third  of  his  time  for  three  years  to  perfecting 
the  returns.  In  1874,  however,  the  government  acknowledged  his 
merits  by  paying  him  for  this  service.  He  was  also  employed  on 
the  census  of  i860,  and  became  the  leading  authority  on  vital  sta- 
tistics, being  recognized  as  such  at  home  and  abroad. 

In  1854  the  Legislature  of  Massachusetts  appointed  a  commis- 
sion, consisting  of  Levi  Lincoln,  Increase  Sumner  and  Edward 
Jarvis,  to  inquire  into  the  number  and  condition  of  the  insane  and 
idiots  in  Massachusetts,  and  the  report  of  that  committee,  prepared 
by  Dr.  Jarvis,  is  a  monument  of  his  laborious  zeal  and  patient, 
painstaking  investigation  into  the  number  of  the  insane  and  idiots 
in  Massachusetts.  The  hospital  at  Northampton  was  erected  in 
consequence  of  their  recommendations. 

In  1843  he  became  a  member  of  the  corporation  of  the  School 
for  Idiots  in  Boston,  and  in  1849  was  appointed  physician  to  the 
Institution  for  the  Blind.  He  continued  to  be  associated  with 
Dr.  S.  G.  Howe  in  the  supervision  and  care  of  these  two  institu- 
tions for  many  years,  his  service  being  largely  gratuitous. 

In  i860  Dr.  Jarvis  visited  Europe,  where  he  traveled  exten- 
sively in  charge  of  a  wealthy  insane  patient,  who  was  accom- 
panied by  his  family.  He  was  commissioned  a  delegate  to  the 
International  Statistical  Congress  in  London,  where  he  made  the 
acquaintance  of  many  distinguished  foreign  physicians  and  alien- 
ists. He  was  chosen  one  of  the  two  vice-presidents  of  this  con- 
gress. In  1874  his  labors  were  suddenly  arrested  by  a  stroke  of 
paralysis.  He  remained  in  comfortable  health,  however,  until 
October  20,  1884,  when  a  second  attack  occurred,  which  terminated 
fatally  on  October  31,  1884.  His  wife  died  the  second  day  after-, 
wards,  and  they  were  both  buried  on  the  same  day,  in  their  native 
town  of  Concord. 

Dr.  Jarvis'  writings  were  voluminous  and  embraced  a  wide 
range  of  subjects.  His  papers  on  vital  statistics,  hygiene  and 
insanity  number  over  150.  He  wrote  also  a  school  physiology, 
which  was  translated  into  Japanese  and  is  in  use  in  Japan, 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  431 

He  was  a  member  of  many  learned  societies.  Of  a  genial,  kindly, 
social  disposition,  he  was  always  ready  to  impart  the  treasures  of 
his  mind,  well  stored  with  various  knowledge,  to  those  who  met 
him.  He  was  always  a  scholar,  absorbed  in  the  consideration 
of  important  and  beneficent  schemes,  and,  while  constantly  seeking 
information  from  others,  he  was  ever  ready  to  share  what  he 
possessed  with  them. 

DR.  GEORGE  FREDERICK  JELLY. 

Dr.  George  Frederick  Jelly  was  bom  in  Salem,  Mass.,  January 
22,  1842.  He  was  graduated  from  Brown  University  in  1864,  re- 
ceiving the  degrees  of  A.  B.  and  A.M.  and  in  1907  that  of  D.  Sc. 
He  graduated  from  the  Harvard  Medical  School  in  1867  and  was 
house  officer  at  the  Boston  City  Hospital  in  1868.  He  then  began 
private  practice  in  Springfield,  Mass.,  but  in  1869  received  an 
appointment  at  McLean  Hospital,  and  in  1871  was  made  superin- 
tendent, when  only  29  years  old.  He  resigned  in  1879  and  entered 
private  practice  in  Boston  as  a  specialist  in  mental  diseases  and 
gained  an  important  place  in  the  community.  He  was  appointed 
examiner  of  the  insane  for  the  city,  a  position  which  he  continued 
to  fill  until  shortly  before  his  death.  When  the  State  Board  of  In- 
sanity was  organized  in  1898,  he  was  unanimously  selected  chair- 
man and  held  that  position  till  1908,  when  he  resigned  because  of 
failing  health.  He  was  a  diligent  worker  in  the  cause  of  the  insane 
in  all  its  details. 

Dr.  Walter  Channing  says  of  him : 

Dr  Jelly's  services  were  extensively  sought  as  a  consultant  and  as 
expert  in  court.  He  was  thorough  and  deliberate  in  forming  his  opinions 
and  absolutely  honest  and  fearless  in  his  expression  of  them,  and  was 
always  true  to  his  convictions.  As  a  result,  he  gradually  acquired  the 
reputation  of  a  man  without  fear  and  without  reproach,  whose  judgments 
were  sound  and  reliable.  He  was  the  most  gentle,  loyal  and  tender  of 
physicians  and  friends,  always  anxious  to  serve  and  expecting  nothing  in 
return.  His  life  was  a  continual  glad  sacrifice  to  duty,  and  he  broke 
down  under  the  strain  and  died. 

He  is  remembered  at  McLean  Hospital  as  the  first  superinten- 
dent to  place  women  nurses  on  the  men's  wards,  and  as  one  of  the 
best  loved  by  the  patients  of  any  physician  ever  in  its  service. 

He  died  October  24,  191 1,  in  the  70th  year  of  his  age. 


432  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE    OF   THE   INSANE 

DR.  WILLIAM  PALMER  JONES. 

William  Palmer  Jones,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Adair  County,  Ky., 
October  17,  1819,  and  died  at  his  residence  in  Nashville,  Tenn., 
September  25,  1897.  His  father,  William  Jones,  of  Welch  de- 
scent, was  a  native  of  Lincoln  County,  Ky.,  and  died  in  Adair 
County,  Ky.,  in  his  426.  year.  His  mother,  Mary  B.  Powell,  a 
daughter  of  Robert  Powell,  a  farmer,  and  a  major  in  the  army  of 
the  Revolution,  was  born  in  Virginia.  Her  mother  was  a  Miss 
West,  a  relative  of  the  family  of  the  painter,  Benjamin  West. 
There  is  an  aristocracy  of  birth,  an  aristocracy  of  training  and 
an  aristocracy  of  worth,  and  Dr.  Jones  possessed  all  of  these. 

His  mother,  left  a  widow  with  nine  children  dependent  upon 
her,  devoted  herself  to  their  care  until  her  death  in  Bowling  Green, 
Ky.,  in  1851,  at  the  age  of  45.  That  she  was  a  true  mother  the 
subsequent  career  of  her  noble  son  well  shows. 

His  literary  education  was  limited  to  occasional  attendance, 
when  time  and  means  permitted,  upon  the  "  old  field  schools  "  of 
Kentucky,  but  with  the  indomitable  will  of  an  earnest  nature  he 
made  the  best  of  his  limited  advantages.  Before  attaining  man- 
hood he  determined  to  study  medicine,  and  after  two  years'  ofhce 
tutelage  under  Dr.  T.  Q.  Walker,  he  attended  a  course  of  lectures 
at  the  Louisville  Medical  College,  and  later  received  the  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Medicine  from  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  and 
from  the  Memphis  Medical  College. 

He  commenced  the  practice  of  medicine  in  1840  in  Edmonton, 
Ky.,  before  he  was  21  years  of  age.  Later  in  the  same  year  he 
moved  to  Bowling  Green,  where  he  remained  until  1849,  when 
he  went  to  Nashville,  Tenn.,  where  for  nearly  half  a  century  he  led 
an  eventful  and  most  useful  life.  In  1862  he  was  appointed  super- 
intendent of  the  Central  Hospital  for  the  Insane  near  Nashville, 
remaining  in  office  until  he  resigned  in  1869.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  American  Medical  Association,  of  the  state,  county  and  local 
medical  societies,  of  the  American  Medico-Psychological  Associa- 
tion and  of  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of 
Science.  In  legislative  halls,  both  state  and  municipal,  in  the  coun- 
cils of  his  church,  and  in  the  hearts  and  minds  of  admiring  friends 
of  all  political  opinions  he  held  an  honored  position. 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  433 

DR.  ELI  EDWARD  JOSSELYN. 

Dr.  Eli  E,  Josselyn,  assistant  physician  at  the  Pennsylvania 
Hospital,  West  Philadelphia,  died  suddenly  at  that  institution 
September  13,  1903,  in  the  59th  year  of  his  age. 

He  was  born  in  Plymouth  County,  Mass.,  and  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  of  the  state.  Early  in  life  he  lost  his  mother, 
and  his  young  boyhood  days  were  spent  under  the  care  of  his 
maternal  grandmother,  a  New  England  woman  of  the  Puritan 
type,  who  left  upon  him  the  influence  of  her  teaching  and  example. 

He  received  his  medical  education  at  the  University  of  New 
York  and  was  graduated  in  1873. 

He  was  first  connected  with  the  Hospital  for  Crippled  Children 
in  New  York,  where  he  did  good  work  under  the  late  Dr.  James 
Knight.  Though  his  subsequent  career  was  mostly  spent  in 
another  department  of  medicine,  he  never  lost  interest  in  ortho- 
pedic surgery.  In  1879  he  received  a  provisional  position  at  the 
Utica  State  Hospital,  and  in  the  following  year  was  given  a  per- 
manent appointment.  In  December,  1883,  he  resigned  to  enter 
upon  private  practice.  He  was  later  connected  with  the  private 
institution  of  Dr.  Patterson,  at  Batavia,  111.,  and  since  1886  had 
been  permanently  in  service  at  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital,  first 
in  the  department  for  men  and  afterwards  in  the  department  for 
women.  He  attracted  and  held  friends,  although  somewhat  quick 
and  brusque  in  manner,  with  strong  likes  and  dislikes  and  even 
prejudices.  He  was  a  man  of  unusual  character  and  of  strong 
individuality.  With  a  more  liberal  education,  the  lack  of  which 
he  always  deplored,  he  would  have  been  regarded  as  a  brilliant 
man. 

He  was  a  lover  of  nature,  and  flowers  and  trees  and  growing 
things  were  his  delight.  He  had  the  instincts  of  a  poet,  and  if 
he  had  turned  toward  descriptive  writing  he  might  have  won 
distinction.  He  was  generous  and  charitable,  and  in  a  quiet  way 
used  his  means  for  the  good  of  others. 

He  possessed  strong  religious  faith,  and  his  daily  life  was  one 
of  strict  honesty  and  uprightness. 


434  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE    OF   THE   INSANE 

DR.  ABNER  OTIS  KELLOGG. 

Abner  Otis  Kellogg  was  born  in  Madison  County,  N.  Y.  After 
an  academic  education  he  received  his  medical  training  in  the 
Berkshire  Medical  College  in  Massachusetts.  He  began  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine  near  Port  Hope,  Ont.,  where  he  gained  a  widely 
extended  practice,  traveling  chiefly  on  horseback  to  visit  his  scat- 
tered patients.  Through  an  accident  requiring  his  professional 
aid  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  an  officer  of  the  Canadian  Pacific 
Railroad  survey,  with  whom  he  afterwards  made  an  extensive  tour 
of  Europe,  thereby  adding  largely  to  his  professional  equipment. 
In  1861  he  was  called  to  the  post  of  second  assistant  physician  in 
the  New  York  State  Lunatic  Asylum,  then  under  the  superin- 
tendency  of  Dr.  Gray.  While  in  this  position  he  made  many 
contributions  to  the  Journal  of  Insanity,  which  gained  him  con- 
siderable reputation,  both  from  a  medical  and  literary  point  of 
view.  Some  of  these  he  afterwards  published  in  a  volume  en- 
titled "  Shakespeare's  Delineations  of  Insanity,  Imbecility  and 
Suicide."  He  also  made  other  valuable  contributions  to  medical 
journals,  and  was  frequently  called  as  an  expert  witness  in  the 
courts. 

He  removed  to  the  Hudson  River  State  Hospital  in  1870  as  first 
assistant  physician,  which  position  he  held  until  1884,  when  he 
resigned  and  removed  to  Canandaigua,  and  later  to  Kentland,  Ind., 
where  he  died  at  about  the  age  of  three  score  years  and  ten,  Sep- 
tember 21,  1888.  He  was  a  man  of  deep  and  devout  feeling,  genial 
and  amiable  to  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact ;  and  withal  a  man 
of  clear,  definite  opinions  and  tenacious  of  his  convictions. 

DR.  ISAAC  NEWTON  KERLIN. 

Isaac  Newton  Kerlin  was  born  in  Burlington,  N.  J.,  May  27, 
1834.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  in  the  John 
Collins  Academy  in  his  native  town,  and  studied  medicine  under 
the  preceptorship  of  the  late  Dr.  Joseph  Parrish,  graduating  from 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  1856.  He  was  appointed  resi- 
dent physician  at  Wills  Eye  Hospital  in  1857,  and  from  there 
went  to  the  assistant  superintendency  of  the  Pennsylvania  Train- 
ing School  for  Feeble-minded  Children,  then  in  its  infancy,  in 
October,   1858.     He  enlisted  in  the  army  in   1862,  when  Lee's 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE   UNITED   STATES  435 

army  threatened  the  North,  but  was  later  called  from  the  ranks 
by  Surgeon  General  H.  Smith  and  placed  in  charge  of  the  night 
work  of  an  improvised  hospital  at  Hagerstown,  Md.,  where  he 
gave  faithful  and  efficient  service.  Later  he  was  entrusted  by 
Medical  Director  A.  K.  Smith  with  the  removal  of  the  wounded 
to  Chambersburg,  Harrisburg  and  Philadelphia.  From  here  he 
was  sent  by  the  U.  S.  Sanitary  Commission  to  Suffolk,  Va.  Later 
he  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  field  work  of  the  Sanitary  Com- 
mission of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  then  badly  in  need  of  reor- 
ganization, where  he  remained  until  after  the  battle  of  Chancel- 
lorsville  in  May,  1863,  winning  the  approval  of  the  commission 
by  his  organizing  ability,  courage  and  energy.  In  November,  1863, 
he  was  recalled  to  the  Pennsylvania  Training  School  to  be  superin- 
tendent. He  took  up  the  work  at  a  discouraging  time,  when  the 
attention  of  the  public  was  occupied  by  the  war,  and  funds,  either 
from  public  or  private  sources,  were  difficult  to  obtain.  He  early 
saw,  with  his  fellow  superintendents,  that  without  association  and 
intercourse  the  best  results  could  not  be  obtained,  and  at  a  meeting 
at  Elwyn  in  1876,  at  which  Drs.  Sequin  and  H.  B.  Wilbur  of 
New  York,  Doren  of  Ohio,  Knight  of  Connecticut,  Brown  of 
Massachusetts,  and  T.  Wilbur  of  Illinios,  were  present,  a  national 
association  was  formed  with  Dr.  Seguin  as  president  and  Dr. 
Kerlin  as  secretary,  an  office  which  he  held  almost  uninterruptedly 
until  his  death.  Other  members  were  rapidly  added,  and  the 
association  soon  included  all  in  the  country  who  were  prominent 
in  the  care,  training  and  education  of  the  feeble-minded. 

He  also  recognized  that  institutions  were  not  solely  for  the 
care  of  children,  that  measures  of  prevention  were  necessary  to 
diminish  the  burden  upon  the  public,  and  that  such  measures  could 
be  efficient  only  when  based  on  a  sure  knowledge  of  the  conditions 
underlying  idiocy.  This  knowledge  must  be  obtained  through 
clinical  and  pathological  research.  In  1882  an  effort  was  made  to 
have  a  pathologist  appointed  to  study  such  material  as  might  be 
furnished  by  the  different  institutions,  but  this  plan  of  joint  work 
was  not  feasible  and  was  abandoned.  He  began,  however,  a  series 
of  autopsies  at  the  Elwyn  institution,  and  accomplished  consider- 
able work  during  his  lifetime,  laying  a  foundation  for  much  more 
in  the  future.  He  believed  that  the  feeble-minded  of  all  grades 
were  the  wards  of  the  state  and  early  advocated  the  erection  of 


436  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE    OF   THE    INSANE 

detached  buildings  adapted  to  their  comfortable  and  economical 
care.  In  the  spring  of  1883  the  first  of  these  buildings  was 
opened  for  112  children.  At  the  close  of  his  labors,  besides  the 
central  school  department  buildings  providing  school  rooms  and 
accommodations  for  400  feeble-minded  children  of  the  teachable 
class,  there  stood  also,  on  the  grounds  at  Elwyn,  four  detached 
buildings  accommodating  400  children  of  the  custodial  and  un- 
teachable  class.  As  his  work  reached  the  limit  he  had  set  for 
thorough  and  economical  management  his  labors  began  to  show 
their  effect  upon  his  health  and  strength.  The  trustees  of  the 
institution,  appreciating  his  services,  gave  him  liberal  time  for 
recuperation ;  but  the  resolute  energy  which  had  characterized  his 
life  allowed  him  to  be  happy  only  when  busy,  and  he  struggled  for 
four  years  with  the  combined  cardiac  and  renal  disease  which  dur- 
ing this  period  threatened  his  life. 

He  married  in  1865  Miss  Harriet  C.  Dix,  of  Massachusetts, 
whose  cordial  aid  and  sympathy  were  acknowledged  factors  in  his 
success. 

He  was  prevented  by  the  numerous  cares  of  a  rapidly  growing 
institution  from  writing  any  extended  work  on  juvenile  mental 
defects.  His  numerous  short  articles  were  characterized  by  pro- 
found knowledge  of  his  subject,  a  ready  wit,  and  a  striking  origi- 
nality of  expression,  which  made  them  not  only  instructive  but 
entertaining  and  held  the  interest  of  the  reader  to  the  end.  He 
published  a  paper  on  classification  of  the  feeble-minded  based 
upon  their  mental  powers.  He  also  issued  a  statistical  paper  on 
the  causation  of  idiocy,  based  on  a  critical  examination  of  100 
cases.  As  secretary  of  the  National  Association,  he  was  in  close 
association  with  specialists  abroad ;  he  spent  the  summer  of  1889 
in  examining  foreign  institutions  to  acquire  new  ideas  for  his 
work  at  Elwyn. 

The  loss  of  his  wife  in  December,  1892,  to  whose  tender  care 
he  owed  much  of  the  conservation  of  his  strength,  was  a  sore  blow. 
As  the  warm  weather  of  1893  advanced  he  did  not  rally  as  he 
usually  did  through  the  summer  months.  He  died  October  25, 
1893.  He  was  buried,  at  his  request,  in  a  beautiful  grove  on  the 
grounds  of  the  charity  in  whose  creation  he  had  taken  so  active 
a  part.  His  name  and  his  fame  have  grown  with  the  buildings 
on  the  Elwyn  grounds,  and  they  are  his  monument. 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE   UNITED   STATES  437 

DR.  EDWIN  ARIUS  KILBOURNE. 

Dr.  Arius  Kilbourne  was  born  in  Chelsea,  Vt.,  March  12,  1837. 
When  he  was  5  years  old  his  family  removed  to  Montpelier,  where 
he  attended  school  and  academy  until  he  was  18.  In  1857  he 
joined  an  older  brother,  a  dentist  in  St.  Johnsbury,  and  began 
the  study  of  medicine,  which  he  continued  with  various  interrup- 
tions, one  of  them  being  notably  his  three  years'  service  in  the 
Civil  War,  until  1868. 

He  first  entered  the  three  months'  service.  After  being  mus- 
tered out  in  June,  1 861,  he  again  volunteered  and  went  as  captain 
in  the  9th  Vermont  Regiment,  in  which  he  served  until  his  health 
failed,  and  he  resigned  near  the  close  of  the  war.  During  the 
winter  of  1864-65  he  attended  the  Georgetown  Medical  College, 
at  Washington,  D.  C.  The  next  year  he  spent  at  the  University 
of  Michigan,  at  Ann  Arbor,  and  the  following  year  in  New  York, 
where  he  graduated  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
in  1868.  He  became  an  assistant  physician  in  the  New  York  City 
Asylum,  and  devoted  his  attention  to  insanity  and  nervous  diseases. 
He  next,  through  a  competitive  examination,  secured  the  position 
of  house  physician  and  surgeon  at  the  Brooklyn  City  Hospital. 
He  later  became  surgeon  on  the  "  Black  Ball "  line,  and  thus  had 
an  opportunity  to  visit  Europe  and  to  attend  clinics  at  St.  Thomas' 
and  Guy's  in  London,  and  also  in  Paris. 

Upon  his  return  from  Europe  he  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
medicine  at  Aurora  for  a  short  time,  when  he  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  medical  superintendent  of  the  Illinois  Northern  Hospital 
for  the  Insane  at  Elgin,  a  state  institution,  one  wing  of  which 
was  just  nearing  completion.  He  entered  upon  his  duties  at  Elgin, 
September  15,  1871,  and  continued  in  charge  until  his  death  in 
February,  1890,  a  period  of  nearly  19  years. 

In  1875  the  hospital  was  completed,  furnished  and  occupied  to 
its  full  capacity  of  500  patients. 

During  the  last  four  or  five  years  of  his  life  his  health  became 
much  impaired  through  a  long  illness  brought  on  by  overwork, 
which  nearly  cost  him  his  life  and  left  him  with  a  chronic  rheu- 
matic condition  of  joints  and  system.  He  suflfered  a  slight  para- 
lytic attack  in  November,  1889,  which  was  followed  by  more 
serious  attacks  of  the  same  kind,  the  last  occurring  a  few  days 
before  his  death  in  February,  1890. 


438  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSAlfE 

He  was  twice  married  and  left  a  widow  and  three  children. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Fox  River  Medical  Society,  of  the 
Illinois  State  Medical  Society,  of  the  American  Medical  Associa- 
tion, of  the  Medico-Legal  Society  of  New  York,  and  of  the  As- 
sociation of  Medical  Superintendents  of  American  Institutions  for 
the  Insane. 

DR.  EDWIN  WARREN  KING. 

Dr.  Edwin  Warren  King  was  born  at  Alexander,  N.  Y.,  June 
1 6,  1 83 1.  He  came  to  California  in  1850  and  for  several  years 
engaged  in  mining,  at  the  same  time  studying  medicine.  As  soon 
as  he  was  able  he  entered  the  Cooper  Medical  College  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, from  which  he  graduated  in  March,  1863.  He  began  the 
practice  of  medicine  in  the  mining  districts  of  California,  and  in 
1870  removed  to  Ukiah,  Mendocino  County,  where  he  built  up  an 
extensive  practice. 

When  an  appropriation  was  secured  for  the  erection  of  the 
Mendocino  State  Hospital  Dr.  King  was  appointed  on  the  Board 
of  Directors,  and  actively  engaged  in  the  general  supervision  of 
the  construction  of  the  institution.  Upon  the  completion  of  the 
buildings  he  was  elected  superintendent,  his  duties  commencing 
July  I,  1893.  He  remained  continuously  in  office  in  this  position 
until  May  i,  1912,  when,  at  the  age  of  81,  he  resigned  on  account 
of  the  loss  of  his  right  leg.  He  died  January  11,  1914,  in  San 
Francisco. 

Dr.  King  was  most  efficient  and  conscientious  in  his  duties  as 
superintendent  of  the  Mendocino  State  Hospital,  and  was  deeply 
interested  in  the  work  of  the  institution.  A  hard  student,  he  pre- 
ferred to  study  his  cases  himself  rather  than  to  rely  on  the  opinions 
of  others,  and  was  in  close  touch  with  his  patients.  During  the 
20  years  of  his  service  at  the  hospital  he  devoted  the  full  energy 
of  his  mind  and  body  to  the  study  of  mental  diseases. 

DR.  THOMAS  STORY  KIRKBRIDE. 

Thomas  Story  Kirkbride,  M.  D.,  LL.  D.,  was  born  July  31, 
1809,  near  Morrisville,  Bucks  County,  Pa.  He  was  a  descendant 
of  Joseph  Kirkbride,  of  the  parish  of  Kirkbride,  County  of  Cum- 
berland, Eng.,  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  who  came  to 
this  country  with  William  Penn.    Dr.  Kirkbride  received  his  edu- 


DR.  E.  A.   KTLEOURNE. 


DR.    G.    F.    KEENE. 


35 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE   UNITED   STATES  439 

cation  at  Trenton,  N,  J.,  under  the  Rev.  Jared  D.  Tyler,  and  after- 
wards took  a  course  of  higher  mathematics  at  BurUngton  with 
Professor  John  Gummere.  In  1828,  at  19  years  of  age,  he  began 
the  study  of  medicine,  with  Dr.  N.  Belleville,  of  Trenton,  as  his 
preceptor,  and  attended  three  full  courses  of  lectures  in  the  medical 
department  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  graduated  with 
honors  in  March,  1832. 

In  April  of  the  same  year  he  was  appointed  resident  physician 
to  the  Friends'  Asylum  for  the  Insane  at  Frank  ford,  Philadelphia, 
and  in  March,  1833,  he  was  elected  resident  physician  to  the  Penn- 
sylvania Hospital,  where  he  remained  two  years  and  had  charge 
of  the  "  west  wing,"  devoted  to  the  treatment  of  the  insane.  He 
left  the  hospital  in  1835  and  settled  in  Philadelphia,  in  the  general 
practice  of  medicine,  in  which  he  was  highly  successful,  obtaining 
a  recognized  reputation  in  the  treatment  of  insanity.  He  was  also 
physician  to  numerous  charitable  institutions,  including  the  House 
of  Refuge,  the  Magdalen  Hospital  and  the  Institution  for  the 
Blind. 

At  this  time  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital  erected  a  new  building 
on  Haverford  Road  and  (now)  42d  Street,  to  be  especially  devoted 
to  the  care  and  treatment  of  the  insane,  which  was  completed  in 
1840. 

In  October  of  that  year  he  was  unanimously  elected  physician- 
in-chief  and  superintendent  of  this  new  institution,  which  was 
styled  "  The  Pennsylvania  Hospital  for  the  Insane."  At  the  solici- 
tation of  his  friends  and  the  profession  he  accepted,  resigning  his 
practice  in  December  to  enter  upon  his  duties.  The  institution 
was  opened  on  the  ist  day  of  January,  1841,  and  he  remained  its 
superintendent  from  that  time  until  his  death. 

The  hospital  was  first  opened  with  97  patients,  and  was  gradu- 
ally enlarged  until  in  1854  it  was  capable  of  accommodating  235 
patients. 

He  was  an  advocate  of  hospitals  for  the  insane  of  small  size, 
maintaining  that  the  number  in  one  hospital  should  never  exceed 
250.  As  the  institution  was  full  he  recommended  to  the  Board 
of  Managers  the  erection  of  a  new  hospital  on  the  ample  grounds 
of  the  institution,  for  the  complete  separation  of  the  sexes,  pro- 
posing to  retain  the  old  hospital  for  women  and  to  erect  the  new 


440  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

one  for  men.  He  recommended  an  appeal  to  the  public  for  funds, 
which  was  made  with  entire  success,  and  the  new  hospital  was 
completed  wholly  from  private  contributions,  amounting-  to  over 
$350,000.  Dr.  Kirkbride  was  himself  the  center  of  this  appeal, 
and  the  work  stands  as  a  monument  to  his  high  character,  profes- 
sional reputation,  zeal  and  energy. 

The  new  hospital  for  men  was  opened  on  the  29th  of  October, 
1859,  with  a  capacity  for  250  patients,  at  a  cost  of  $355,000.  The 
old  hospital  was  remodeled  and  refitted  for  women,  and  two  new 
wards  added  at  a  cost  of  $60,000,  giving  it  capacity  for  250  patients. 

He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Association  of  Medical 
Superintendents  of  American  Institutions  for  the  Insane,  at  Phila- 
delphia, in  October,  1844,  its  first  secretary  and  treasurer,  and 
subsequently  president  of  the  association  for  eight  years.  He  was 
rarely  absent  from  meetings  of  the  association,  and  was  ever  ready 
to  impart  his  knowledge  and  experience.  He  was  conservative,  of 
strong  common  sense,  and  his  opinions  justly  carried  great  weight. 

He  early  gave  much  attention  to  the  construction  of  institutions 
for  the  insane,  and  was  a  strenuous  advocate  of  transforming 
them  into  actual  hospitals,  and  providing  them  with  the  con- 
veniences and  comforts  of  home,  so  necessary  to  the  best  means  of 
cure.  In  1844  he  published  a  work  entitled  "  Rules  for  the  Govern- 
ment of  those  Employed  in  the  Care  of  the  Insane." 

The  July  and  October  numbers  of  the  Journal  of  Insanity  for 
1854  contained  two  articles  by  Dr.  Kirkbride  on  "  The  Construc- 
tion, Organization  and  General  Arrangements  of  Hospitals  for 
the  Insane,"  subsequently,  in  1856,  issued  as  a  special  work,  which 
has  become  a  standard  authority.  He  was  a  contributor  to  The 
American  Journal  of  Insanity,  in  which  will  be  found  a  number 
of  his  monographs  and  reviews.  He  also  contributed  to  The 
American  Journal  of  the  Medical  Sciences. 

In  1839  Dr.  Kirkbride  was  elected  a  fellow  of  the  Philadelphia 
College  of  Physicians,  and  was  a  member  of  the  State  Medical 
Society  of  Pennsylvania  and  of  the  County  Medical  Society  of 
Philadelphia;  also  a  member  of  the  American  Medical  Associa- 
tion, of  the  American  Philosophical  Society,  an  honorary  membei 
of  the  British  Medico-Psychological  Association,  and  of  othei 
societies  for  the  promotion  of  general  and  medical  science,  both 
at  home  and  abroad. 

He  died  December  16,  1883. 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE   UNITED   STATES  441 

DR.  ABRAM  H.  KNAPP. 

Abram  H.  Knapp,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Blenheim,  N.  Y.,  August 
i6,  1829,  and  graduated  at  Rush  Medical  College  in  1852  in  his 
23d  year.  He  first  began  the  practise  of  medicine  in  Coxsackie, 
N.  Y.,  but  removed  in  a  few  years  to  Poughkeepsie.  In  1862  he 
was  appointed  medical  examiner  of  enlisted  men  by  Governor 
Fenton,  and  discharged  the  duties  of  the  position  with  credit  and 
success. 

In  1870  he  went  to  Ottawa,  Kans.,  to  practise  his  profession. 
In  1873  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  Osawatomie  In- 
sane Asylum,  which  then  had  a  capacity  for  112  patients.  In  this 
field  of  practice  his  peculiar  traits  of  character  were  displayed 
and  fully  developed.  He  was  a  firm  and  strict  disciplinarian,  per- 
forming his  own  duties  faithfully  and  conscientiously,  and  exact- 
ing the  same  measure  of  faithfulness  from  all  employees.  He 
formed  his  opinions  slowly,  but  held  them  tenaciously.  He  had 
no  patience  with  shams  and  frauds. 

Towards  his  patients  he  was  considerate  and  humane,  dealing 
tenderly  with  their  infirmities  and  giving  his  whole  energy  to  each 
particular  case  as  it  came  under  consideration.  To  their  relatives 
he  was  a  friend  and  deeply  sympathetic. 

He  was  superintendent  of  the  asylum  for  19  years,  his  resigna- 
tion taking  effect  June  30,  1892,  at  the  close  of  the  fiscal  year. 
During  this  period  of  his  superintendency  the  capacity  of  the 
asylum  increased  from  112  to  750  patients.  The  last  addition,  a 
detached  building  for  250  patients,  nearly  ready  for  occupancy 
upon  his  resignation,  was  named  "  Knapp  Building "  by  the 
trustees  in  his  honor. 

His  retirement  from  the  asylum  upon  July  i,  1892,  was  in  order 
to  return  to  his  former  home  (in  Ottawa)  to  enjoy  the  quiet 
domestic  life  which  he  highly  prized.  But  his  home  life  was  of 
short  duration.  He  died  of  a  sudden  attack  of  pneumonia,  Decem- 
ber 30,  1892. 

DR.  WILLIAM  C.  KRAUSS. 

On  the  2ist  of  September,  1909,  William  Christopher  Krauss, 
M.  D.,  died  in  New  York  City  from  cerebral  embolism.  He  had 
landed  a  few  hours  previously  from  a  steamer  on  which  he  was 


442  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

returning  from  Nauheim,  Germany,  whither  he  had  gone  in  a 
vain  quest  of  health. 

He  was  born  in  Attica,  N.  Y.,  in  1864.  He  there  attended  the 
public  school  and  later  entered  Cornell  University,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  1884.  In  1886  he  received  the  degree  in  medicine 
at  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  School,  and  later  spent  several  years 
in  Germany,  receiving  a  degree  in  Berlin  in  1889.  While  at 
Cornell  he  became  much  interested  in  comparative  anatomy  and 
was  prominently  identified  with  the  work  of  Professor  Wilder, 
He  came  to  Buffalo  in  1889  and  established  himself  in  a  specialty 
of  mental  and  nervous  disease.  His  attainments,  his  studious 
habits,  and  his  devotion  to  his  profession  won  for  him  a  prominent 
place,  and  he  became  one  of  the  leading  physicians  in  Western 
New  York  and  a  prominent  and  respected  citizen  of  Buffalo.  He 
accepted  with  too  free  a  spirit  the  burdens  which  an  arduous  pro- 
fessional life  imposed,  and  labored  in  season  and  out,  and  thus 
impaired  his  health  and  hastened  his  death  at  the  early  age  of 
45  years. 

He  was  president  of  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  Buffalo  State 
Hospital ;  chief  physician  at  the  Providence  Retreat,  Buffalo ;  con- 
sulting neurologist  at  the  Buffalo  General  Hospital,  the  Erie 
County  Hospital,  the  Emergency  and  German  Hospitals,  He  be- 
longed to  the  Faculty  of  Medicine  of  Buffalo  University  and  was 
a  member  of  the  most  prominent  state  and  local  medical  societies. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  American  Medico-Psychological  Associa- 
tion for  many  years ;  the  first  secretary  of  the  Buffalo  Academy 
of  Medicine,  and  one  of  its  founders. 

The  managers  of  the  Buffalo  State  Hospital,  at  the  time  of 
his  death,  adopted  the  following  minute,  accompanying  the  usual 
resolutions,  which  expresses  their  appreciation  of  his  worth : 

He  was  appointed,  by  the  Governor,  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Visitors 
to  the  Buffalo  State  Hospital  in  October,  1902.  When  the  Board  of 
Managers  was  restored  he  was  appointed  a  member  and  was  elected 
president.  For  upwards  of  seven  years  he  faithfully  fulfilled  the  duties  of 
a  manager  of  the  institution,  attending  its  meetings  regularly,  visiting  the 
hospital  at  frequent  intervals,  maintaining  a  close  personal  interest  and 
acquaintance  with  many  patients,  and  an  intimate  knowledge  of  hospital 
work.  His  training  as  a  physician  especially  qualified  him  for  the  duties 
of  manager  which  he  so  faithfully  performed. 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE   UNITED   STATES  443 

Dr.  Krauss'  published  contributions  to  the  hterature  of  medicine, 
more  particularly  to  that  of  his  specialty,  number  more  than  lOO 
articles.  Within  the  last  two  years  he  translated  Mendel's  text- 
book on  "  Psychiatry  "  from  the  German,  and  had  in  preparation 
a  work  on  tumors  of  the  spinal  cord,  to  which  subject  he  had  given 
great  attention.  He  was  assistant  editor  of  the  Buifalo  Medical 
Journal. 

DR.  CHARLES  H.  LANGDON. 

Dr.  Charles  H.  Langdon,  second  assistant  physician  at  the 
Hudson  River  State  Hospital,  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  died  of  ap- 
pendicitis November  15,  1905.  He  was  born  in  New  York  City 
in  1853.  He  received  his  literary  education  in  Fordham  College, 
and  graduated  in  medicine  from  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons  in  1874.  He  became  deeply  interested  in  the  study  of 
nervous  and  mental  diseases  and  was  appointed  to  the  staff  of 
the  Hudson  River  State  Hospital  in  1877.  He  was  continuously 
in  the  service  of  the  hospital  from  that  date  until  his  death,  with 
the  exception  of  a  brief  period,  during  which  he  engaged  in  private 
practice  in  Poughkeepsie.  He  was  an  earnest  student  of  medicine 
and  found  time  in  the  midst  of  arduous  duties  to  keep  himself 
in  touch  with  current  medical  literature  and  important  advances 
in  his  profession.  He  possessed  sound  judgment,  a  warm  heart, 
and  extraordinary  capacity  for  work.  He  was  greatly  liked  per- 
sonally and  had  many  warm  friends  in  as  well  as  out  of  his  pro- 
fession. During  his  long  period  of  connection  with  the  Hudson 
River  State  Hospital  he  had  under  his  personal  care  many  patients 
to  whom  his  unvarying  kindness  was  a  never-failing  source  of 
comfort,  and  his  interest  and  zeal  for  their  welfare  were  un- 
flagging. He  was  married  and  left  a  wife,  a  son,  a  daughter, 
and  an  aged  mother. 

DR.  OLIVER  MONROE  LANGDON. 

Oliver  Monroe  Langdon  was  born  February  2,  181 7,  near  Co- 
lumbia, one  of  the  suburbs  of  Cincinnati.  His  father.  Rev.  Oliver 
Langdon,  was  a  physician,  a  farmer  and  a  clergyman  of  the  Metho- 
dist Church,  who  emigrated  from  Massachusetts  to  Hamilton 
County  in  1800.    His  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Colonel  William 


444  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

Brown,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  who,  with  her  parents,  settled 
near  Cincinnati  as  early  as  1789.  At  the  age  of  12  years,  his 
parents  being  dead,  he  moved  to  Cincinnati  and  made  his  home 
with  a  cousin.  Here  he  attended  one  of  the  best  private  schools 
in  Cincinnati.  At  the  age  of  14  years  he  entered  Woodward  High 
School  and  remained  for  one  year.  He  later  studied  for  two 
years  at  the  Athenaeum,  now  St.  Xavier's  College,  at  the  same 
time  working  to  pay  his  expenses.  He  commenced  the  study  of 
medicine  in  the  office  of  Prof.  Cobb,  of  the  Medical  College  of 
Ohio,  and  graduated  from  the  college  in  1838.  From  1838  until 
1842  he  resided  at  Madison,  Ind.,  when  he  returned  to  Cincinnati. 
Soon  afterwards  he  was  appointed  physician  for  one  of  the  four 
districts  or  townships  into  which  the  city  was  then  divided,  and 
held  this  position  until  the  commencement  of  the  Mexican  War. 
He  was  appointed  surgeon  to  the  4th  Ohio  Regiment  under 
Colonel  Brough,  and  followed  the  fortunes  of  his  regiment  in 
Mexico,  and  returned  with  it  in  1848. 

Soon  after  his  return  from  Mexico  he  was  appointed  physician 
to  the  House  of  Refuge,  and  afterwards  physician  to  the  asylum 
at  Lick  Run,  and  held  these  positions  until  1856.  In  1859  he  was 
appointed  superintendent  and  physician  of  Longview  Asylum,  the 
new  institution  for  the  insane  just  completed.  He  held  this  posi- 
tion until  1870,  when  he  resigned  on  account  of  failing  health. 
He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Miami  Medical  College  and 
one  of  the  promoters  of  the  humane  movement  which  took  the 
insane  from  the  old  Commercial  Hospital  to  Lick  Run,  and  finally 
resulted  in  the  building  of  Longview.  To  him  as  first  superin- 
tendent of  Longview  is  due  the  credit  of  organizing  that  institu- 
tion. He  also  organized  and  put  in  operation  the  first  American 
asylum  for  the  colored  insane,  which  was  established  in  1866  and 
made  a  separate  department  at  Longview,  for  the  colored  insane 
of  Ohio.  As  the  trustees  of  Longview  could  not  purchase  and 
own  an  institution  for  the  colored  insane  it  was  purchased  in  the 
name  of  Dr.  Langdon,  and  for  a  long  time  held  in  trust  for  the 
county.  He  had  been  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Miami  Medical 
College  since  its  foundation ;  he  was  a  member  of  the  American 
Medical  Association,  of  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Society,  of  the 
Cincinnati  Medical  Society,  of  the  Cincinnati  Medical  and  Chi- 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE   UNITED   STATES  445 

rurgical    Society,    and   of   the   American    Medico-Psychological 
Association. 

He  died  of  apoplexy  on  June  15,  1878,  in  the  City  of  Cincinnati. 
He  never  married. 

HON.  WILLIAM  PRYOR  LETCHWORTH. 

William  Pryor  Letchworth  was  bom  in  the  State  of  New  York 
in  1823  and  had  acquired  at  the  age  of  46  years  such  a  fortune 
as  enabled  him  to  retire  and  devote  himself  to  carrying  out  the 
main  purposes  of  life  as  he  conceived  them  to  be :  to  aid  the  sick 
and  the  suffering,  to  succor  the  unfortunate  "  children  of  the 
state,"  to  alleviate  the  conditions  of  the  poor,  to  develop  the  spir- 
itual side  of  life  by  fostering  art,  history,  literature  and  general 
education ;  in  short,  to  promote  social  welfare  in  all  directions  and 
to  do  good  to  others.  He  died  in  his  88th  year,  and  for  over  40 
years  had  devoted  his  life,  energy,  time  and  ample  means  to. the 
single  aim  of  a  broad  philanthropy. 

For  24  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Charities, 
giving  practically  the  whole  of  his  time  to  its  duties.  In  this  capac- 
ity he  inspected  in  1875  all  of  the  orphan  asylums  and  juvenile 
reformatories  of  the  state,  containing  nearly  18,000  children  at 
that  time,  and  made  a  report  of  500  pages  to  the  Legislature, 
calling  attention  to  several  thousand  neglected  children  in  alms- 
houses and  poorhouses,  and  demanding  a  law  for  their  removal 
from  such  degrading  environments.  The  law  was  enacted  and 
enforced.  His  work  also  brought  him  into  touch  with  the  aged 
and  infirm,  the  blind,  the  feeble-minded,  the  insane  and  the 
epileptic. 

As  a  trustee  and  at  one  time  president  of  the  Academy  of  Fine 
Arts,  as  trustee  of  the  Female  Seminary,  and  as  member  and  ex- 
president  of  the  Historical  Society  (all  of  Buffalo),  he  showed 
the  breadth  of  his  philanthropic  interests. 

Over  50  years  ago  he  began  to  acquire  as  a  home  certain  lands 
bordering  upon  the  Portage  Falls  of  the  upper  Genesee  River,  and 
finally  secured  an  estate  of  over  1000  acres,  extending  three  miles 
along  both  banks  of  the  river,  and  including  three  splendid  cata- 
racts from  one-half  mile  to  one  and  one-half  miles  apart  plunging 
down  through  rocky  gorges.    Taking  Downing  as  his  master,  he 


446  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE  OF   THE   INSANE 

beautified  this  estate  by  bounteous  tree  planting,  drives,  paths, 
stairways  and  arbors,  and  with  the  instinct  of  a  poet  he  made  it  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  of  parks.  It  is  unique  in  the  wild  picturesque- 
ness  of  its  waterfalls  and  gorges.  At  his  death  the  estate  was 
bequeathed  to  the  people  of  the  state  and  is  now  a  permanent 
possession  under  the  name  of  Letchworth  Park. 

In  relation  to  what  he  accomplished  for  epileptics  and  the  insane 
Dr.  Frederick  Peterson,  of  New  York,  says : 

I  was  brought  much  into  contact  with  him  for  many  years  and  he  sub- 
mitted the  proofs  of  both  of  his  books,  "  The  Insane  in  Foreign  Countries  " 
and  "  The  Care  of  the  Epileptic,"  to  me  before  they  were  issued.  I  thus 
came  to  know  him  well.  When,  after  a  visit  to  the  Bethel  Colony  of  Epi- 
leptics at  Bielefeld,  in  Germany,  I  began  to  work  for  the  establishment  of 
a  similar  colony  in  this  state,  both  Mr,  Letchworth  and  Mr.  Craig  immedi- 
ately took  up  the  project  and  ultimately  pushed  it  through  the  Legislature 
with  the  help  of  other  members  of  the  State  Board  of  Charities  and  of  the 
State  Charities  Aid  Association.  The  colony  was  named  after  Mr.  Craig, 
because  he  was  president  of  the  State  Board  at  the  time  and  died  just 
before  the  law  creating  the  colony  was  passed.  Gov.  Flower  suggested 
the  name  of  Craig  Colony  for  the  new  institution.  But  Mr.  Letchworth 
actually  did  more  work  in  connection  with  the  selection  of  the  site,  the 
passage  of  the  law  and  the  organization  of  the  colony  than  any  other  member 
of  the  state  board.  The  site  was  called  to  his  attention  by  H.  E.  Brown, 
of  Mount  Morris,  and  he  was  immediately  impressed  with  its  peculiar 
adaptation  to  the  colony's  needs.  He  asked  me  to  go  over  it  with  himself 
and  Mr.  Craig.  We  were  all  so  enthusiastic  that  it  was  practically  decided 
upon  at  once.  It  was  a  piece  of  land  i860  acres  in  extent,  forest  and 
farm,  already  a  colony  in  fact  of  the  sect  of  Shakers,  with  numerous  well- 
built  houses  upon  it,  and  a  deep  gorge  making  a  natural  division  for  the 
sexes.  I  need  not  tell  how  it  was  speedily  acquired,  how  the  model  village 
was  laid  out  upon  landscape  plans  from  Frederick  Law  Olmstead,  and  with 
building  plans  by  Carrere  and  Hastings.  Now  there  are  1400  epileptic 
inhabitants.  Mr.  Letchworth  was  deeply  interested  in  the  growth  of  the 
colony  from  the  first,  and  as  Glen  Iris  is  but  a  short  distance  away  from 
it,  he  was  a  constant  visitor  and  counsellor  to  the  superintendent  of  the 
institution  as  long  as  his  health  permitted.  Recently  the  new  and  similar 
colony  established  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  state  has  been  rightly 
named  for  him  the  Letchworth  Village. 

In  order  to  qualify  himself  to  promote  the  welfare  of  the  insane,  and  to 
fix  some  ideal  standard  in  their  care,  he  made  a  seven  months'  tour  abroad 
to  examine  the  asylums  and  methods  of  care  in  Great  Britain,  Scandinavia, 
the  Low  Countries  and  France  and  Germany.  The  results  of  this  study 
he  embodied  in  his  well-known  book  on  "  The  Insane  in  Foreigrn  Countries," 
an  excellent  work  of  reference,  which  had  done  much  to  shape  our  systems 
of  construction  and  organization.     I  believe  this  book  is  destined  for  a 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE   UNITED   STATES  447 

wider  appreciation  still  in  time,  for  I  do  not  think  we  have  yet  grown  up 
to  the  ideals  in  the  mind  of  this  far-seeing  man.  He  knew  long  ago  that 
the  colony  system  is  best  for  the  insane,  and  that  occupations  of  all  kinds 
should  be  multiplied  to  an  extent  not  dreamed  of  yet.  We  still  lag  far 
behind  him  in  these  particulars. 

DR.  JOSEPH  D.  LOMAX. 

Joseph  D.  Lomax  was  born  in  England,  April  4,  1829,  of  an- 
cestry originally  French.  He  came  with  his  parents  to  this  country 
in  1832,  and  after  completing  his  education  was  for  many  years 
engaged  as  teacher  in  a  private  classical  school.  He  studied  medi- 
cine at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  New  York  and  at 
the  Long  Island  Hospital  College  in  Brooklyn,  graduating  at  the 
former  in  1862.  After  serving  for  16  months  in  a  hospital  in  New 
York  City  he  removed  to  Troy  in  1863,  and  was  soon  afterwards 
appointed  medical  superintendent  of  the  Marshall  Infirmary  and 
Rensselaer  County  Insane  Asylum.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Rens- 
selaer County  Medical  Society,  and  served  as  its  librarian  and  one 
of  its  censors,  and  also  on  the  Committee  of  Ethics.  He  was  ap- 
pointed a  delegate  to  the  State  Medical  Society  in  1875.  He  died 
of  apoplexy,  July  22,  1899. 

DR.  OSCAR  RUSSELL  LONG. 

Dr.  Oscar  Russell  Long  was  born  at  Williamsport,  Pa.,  August 
16,  1850.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Williamsport 
and  at  the  age  of  16  years  became  a  teacher  in  a  country  school 
in  Lycoming  County,  Pa. 

In  October,  1 871,  he  took  a  course  in  anatomy  at  the  University 
of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor,  and  later  completed  his  medical 
course,  graduating  at  the  Detroit  Medical  College,  where  for  a 
year  he  was  employed  as  a  teacher. 

In  1874  he  removed  to  Ionia,  Mich.,  and  began  the  general  prac- 
tice of  medicine. 

In  1885  he  was  made  medical  superintendent  of  the  Asylum  for 
Insane  Criminals  at  Ionia,  and  continued  in  charge  until  his  sudden 
death  on  September  10,  1914. 

He  was  appointed  by  Governor  R.  A.  Alger  when  the  first  build- 
ing of  the  Michigan  Asylum  for  Insane  Criminals  was  erected  in 
connection  with  the  Michigan  Reformatory  at  Ionia. 


448  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

In  1899  the  name  was  changed  to  the  Michigan  Asylum  for 
Dangerous  and  Criminal  Insane,  and  later  to  the  Ionia  State  Hos- 
pital. 

The  accommodations  furnished  by  the  original  buildings  were 
taxed  by  the  nimiber  of  patients  from  the  very  start,  and  soon  it 
became  necessary  to  plan  a  colony,  as  there  was  no  room  for  further 
buildings  in  connection  with  the  reformatory.  Accordingly  217 
acres .  of  land  were  purchased  for  the  purpose.  Here,  upon  a 
beautiful  site  chosen  by  himself,  Dr.  Long  planned  and  supervised 
the.  erection  of  a  dozen  attractive  buildings  for  the  housing  of 
patients  and  the  accommodation  of  medical  and  other  officers. 
This  colony  is  now  the  main  institution  and  the  original  structure  is 
a  branch  of  it. 

In  1898  the  Homeopathic  Medical  School  of  the  University  of 
Michigan  conferred  upon  him  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Medicine.  Two  years  later  he  was  offered  the  position  of  dean 
at  the  same  school,  but  declined  it.  He  filled  the  position  of  lec- 
turer upon  mental  and  nervous  diseases  at  Ann  Arbor  for  several 
years.  He  was  much  engaged  in  medico-legal  work  as  an  expert 
witness.  He  was  regarded  as  an  excellent  administrator,  a  strict 
disciplinarian  and  an  economical  and  efficient  medical  superinten- 
dent. The  ideal  location  and  artistic  arrangement  of  the  build- 
ings of  the  Ionia  Hospital  and  the  general  beauty  of  the  grounds 
were  all  largely  due  to  his  excellent  taste  and  personal  attention. 

He  was  one  of  the  leading  men  in  his  school  of  medicine  in  the 
state  and  a  valued  citizen  of  the  community  in  which  he  resided. 
He  was  personally  attractive  and  made  many  warm  and  enduring 
friendships. 

DR.  ALEXANDER  S.  McDILL. 

Alexander  S.  McDill,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Crawford  County,  Pa., 
March  18,  1822 ;  he  was  educated  at  Alleghany  College  and  studied 
medicine  and  received  his  diploma  at  the  Cleveland  Medical  Col- 
lege. After  some  years  of  professional  labor  in  his  native  state, 
he  removed  to  Wisconsin.  In  1862  he  represented  his  district  in 
the  State  Legislature,  and  in  1863-64  he  was  a  member  of  the 
State  Senate.  As  a  legislator  he  wielded  great  influence  in  the 
bodies  to  which  he  was  elected. 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  449 

In  1862  he  was  appointed  a  trustee  of  the  Wisconsin  State 
Hospital,  and  manifested  a  Hvely  interest  in  all  that  pertained  to 
the  welfare  of  the  institution.  In  1868  the  board  experienced 
difficulty  in  procuring  a  competent  superintendent,  and  finally 
insisted  that  Dr.  McDill  should  take  charge  of  the  institution  tem- 
porarily. With  many  misgivings,  he  consented  to  act  as  superin- 
tendent for  a  short  time.  At  the  end  of  the  three  months,  so 
satisfactory  had  been  his  administration,  the  Board  of  Trustees 
insisted  that  he  should  take  permanent  charge  of  the  institution. 
With  great  doubts  as  to  his  ability  to  conduct  the  affairs  of  the 
hospital,  he  finally  accepted  the  position,  and  from  first  to  last  his 
administration  was  a  success. 

In  1872  Dr.  McDill  was  elected  to  represent  his  district  in 
Congress,  and  discharged  the  duties  of  this  office  with  the  same 
honesty  of  purpose  and  undivided  attention  to  the  business  before 
him  that  characterized  his  work  in  other  walks  of  life.  After 
retiring  from  Congress  he  was  again  asked  to  take  charge  of  the 
institution  which  he  had  left  for  two  years,  and  in  April,  1875,  he 
resumed  his  duties  at  the  State  Hospital  at  Madison,  intending  to 
devote  the  remainder  of  his  life  to  the  care  of  the  insane.  His 
labors,  however,  were  soon  cut  short  by  his  death  on  the  13th  day 
of  November,  1875,  in  his  54th  year. 

"  As  a  hospital  superintendent,  Dr.  McDill  was  remarkably 
successful.  He  was  a  clear-headed  man  in  all  things,  cool  and 
deliberate  in  his  actions,  an  excellent  judge  of  human  nature,  an 
industrious  man,  popular  and  pleasant  in  his  manner ;  in  fine,  he 
possessed  executive  ability  of  the  highest  order.  In  all  the  rela- 
tions of  life  Dr.  McDill  was  an  exceptional  man ;  as  a  legislator, 
he  was  able,  industrious  and  efficient ;  as  a  physician,  he  was  skill- 
ful and  successful ;  as  a  hospital  superintendent,  he  was  accom- 
plished and  popular ;  as  a  citizen,  he  was  liberal  and  ever  ready 
to  act  well  his  part ;  as  a  friend,  he  was  true  and  reliable ;  and  as 
a  husband  and  father,  he  was  affectionate,  kind  and  indulgent."  . 

DR.  ALEXANDER  E.  MACDONALD. 

Dr.  Macdonald  was  born  in  Toronto  in  1845,  ^^^  after  his  pre- 
liminary education  in  Upper  Canada  College,  studied  medicine  at 
Toronto  University  and  received  his  degree  of  M.  D.  at  New 


45©  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

York  University.  Later  he  studied  law  and  graduated  at  the  same 
university  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.,  in  1881.  He  was  later 
appointed  to  the  chair  of  medical  jurisprudence  in  the  same  uni- 
versity. In  1871  he  was  appointed  chief  of  staff  of  the  Blackwell's 
Island  Hospital  for  Epileptics  and  Paralytics,  and  four  years  later 
became  medical  superintendent  of  the  New  York  City  asylums  on 
Ward's,  Blackwell's  and  Hart's  islands.  Through  his  efforts  a 
farm  colony  was  established  at  Central  I  slip,  which,  however,  was 
not  opened  for  patients  until  1889.  Upon  the  transfer  of  the  city 
institutions  to  the  state-care  system  in  1896  Dr.  Macdonald  was 
made  general  superintendent  of  the  different  branches  above  men- 
tioned. Later,  in  the  division  of  the  institutions,  he  became  super- 
intendent of  the  Department  for  Men,  remaining  in  that  capacity 
until  his  retirement  in  1904. 

Endowed  with  a  fine  physique,  it  was  possible  for  him  to  cope 
single-handed  with  terrific  obstacles  in  perfecting  his  plans  for 
the  amelioration  of  the  condition  of  the  insane  in  the  city  asylums. 
To  him  must  be  given  the  major  credit  for  the  remarkable  improve- 
ments both  before  and  after  the  transfer  to  the  state-care  system. 
He  held  an  autocratic  sway  over  subordinates,  but  maintained  that 
half-way  measures  would  not  meet  the  local  problems. 

With  trenchant  pen  and  resounding  voice  he  fought  and  won 
many  battles  for  the  poor  and  friendless  patients  committed  to 
his  care.  Better  food  and  clothing,  better  nursing,  greater  liberty, 
suitable  occupation,  special  care  of  the  tubercular  class  and  suitable 
homes  for  nurses — these  were  a  few  of  the  fine  accomplishments 
of  this  man.  Ward's  Island  became  a  Mecca  to  which  sojourners 
from  far  and  near  journeyed  in  search  of  guidance  and  inspiration. 
As  a  writer  and  alienist,  Dr.  Macdonald  held  high  rank,  his  literary 
labors  covering  a  period  of  30  years.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
leading  medical  societies  and  also  president  of  the  American 
Medico-Psychological  Association.  He  represented  this  country 
at  several  international  medical  congresses,  at  which  he  was  always 
a  welcome  and  witty  speaker. 

DR.  JAMES  Macdonald. 

James  MacDonald  was  bom  at  White  Plains,  N.  Y.,  July  18, 
1803.  His  father,  Dr.  Archibald  MacDonald,  a  native  of  Scot- 
land, came  to  America  in  childhood. 


DR.  ALEXANDER  E.   MACDONALD. 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE   UNITED   STATES  45 1 

The  first  years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  his  native  village. 
After  his  father's  death  in  1813  his  education  was  carefully  super- 
intended by  his  excellent  and  devoted  mother.  His  first  classical 
instructor  was  Isaac  Hulse,  who  afterwards  became  a  distin- 
guished surgeon  in  the  navy.  Subsequently  he  was  sent  to  the 
academy  at  Bergen,  in  New  Jersey,  then  under  the  care  of  Mr. 
Thomas  Gahagan,  where  he  continued  for  several  years.  The 
profession  of  medicine  was  his  own  determinate  choice,  in  opposi- 
tion to  the  wishes  of  nearly  all  his  friends. 

In  1 82 1  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  in  his  native  village 
with  Dr.  David  Palmer,  and  afterwards  was  a  pupil  of  Dr.  David 
Hosack,  of  New  York,  under  whom  he  finished  his  medical  studies. 
After  several  courses  of  lectures  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons  in  New  York  he  graduated,  March  29,  1825. 

The  Bloomingdale  Asylum  at  that  day  had  a  resident  physician, 
generally  a  young  man,  who  lived  at  the  asylum,  and  was  visited 
at  stated  times  during  the  week  by  a  visiting  physician.  At  the 
time  of  Dr.  MacDonald's  graduation  the  resident  officer  had 
resigned.  With  a  promptness  and  self-reliance  which  charac- 
terized him  through  life,  he  offered  himself  as  a  candidate  for 
the  vacancy.  His  frankness,  youth  and  intelligence  made  a 
favorable  impression  upon  the  different  members  of  the  board, 
and  he  received  the  appointment,  although  opposed  by  two  rival 
candidates. 

Dr.  MacDonald  commenced  the  study  of  mental  disease  with 
enthusiasm,  and  the  full  responsibility  of  the  Bloomingdale  Asylum 
soon  devolved  upon  him. 

He  remained  at  Bloomingdale  as  resident  physician  until  the 
close  of  the  year  1830,  when  he  resigned  to  enter  upon  general 
practice  in  New  York. 

In  the  spring  of  1831  the  governors  of  the  New  York  Hospital 
proposed  to  send  him  abroad  to  visit  the  insane  hospitals  of 
Europe,  with  the  view  of  introducing  at  Bloomingdale  such  im- 
provements as  he  might  find.  An  agreement  was  entered  into  by 
which  Dr.  MacDonald  was  to  spend  a  year  in  visiting  the  asylums 
of  the  Old  World,  to  examine  them  in  detail  and  to  make  himself 
acquainted  with  the  economy,  management  and  modes  of  cure 
practised  there.    On  his  return  the  governors  were  to  commit  to 

36 


452  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

his  exclusive  care  the  patients  in  the  Bloomingdale  Asylum,  and 
he  agreed  to  remain  until  June,  1837. 

In  June,  1831,  he  sailed  in  the  packet  ship  Havre  to  France, 
furnished  with  letters  and  documents  which  secured  for  him  a 
favorable  reception  from  directors  and  physicians  of  hospitals 
and  from  the  friends  of  science  and  humanity.  He  arrived  at 
Havre  on  June  24,  and  immediately  went  to  England,  the  first 
field  of  his  investigations. 

In  October  he  returned  to  New  York  and  assumed  charge  of 
the  Bloomingdale  Asylum,  where  he  remained  until  the  autumn 
of  1837. 

He  then  resumed  his  general  practice  in  New  York.  He  was 
soon  elected  by  the  governors  one  of  the  attending  physicians  of 
the  New  York  Hospital. 

In  1841  he  carried  into  execution  a  long-cherished  design  to 
establish  in  association  with  his  brother,  Allen  MacDonald,  a 
private  institution  for  mental  diseases.  For  this  purpose  two 
houses  agreeably  situated  on  Murray  Hill,  in  the  suburbs  of  New 
York,  surrounded  with  ample  grounds  and  shut  out  from  public 
view  by  high  enclosures,  were  at  first  secured.  The  establishment 
was  opened  in  June,  1841.  In  1842  he  was  tendered  the  appoint- 
ment as  superintendent  of  the  New  York  State  Lunatic  Asylum, 
which  he  declined. 

In  the  winter  of  1845  the  brothers  purchased  the  mansion  of  the 
late  Chancellor  Sanford,  at  Flushing,  one  of  the  most  costly  and 
substantial  country  houses  in  America.  To  this  place,  which  they 
named  Sanford  Hall,  they  removed  their  establishment. 

Dr.  MacDonald  died  suddenly  of  pneumonia  May  5,  1849. 

His  only  published  works  are  an  essay  on  the  construction  and 
management  of  insane  hospitals ;  a  review  of  considerations  upon 
the  insane  by  G.  Ferrus,  Philadelphia  Medical  Journal,  1837; 
statistics  of  the  Bloomingdale  Asylum,  New  York  Journal  of 
Medicine  a/nd  Surgery,  1839;  letter  to  the  trustees  of  the  New 
York  State  Lunatic  Asylum,  proposing  a  plan  for  organizing  said 
asylum,  New  York  State  Lunacy  Report,  1842;  a  dissertation  on 
puerperal  insanity,  Journal  of  Insanity,  1848;  several  reports  on 
the  condition  of  Blackwell's  Island  Lunatic  Asylum. 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  453 

DR.  ANDREW  McFARLAND. 

Dr.  Andrew  McFarland,  founder  of  Oak  Lawn  Retreat,  near 
Jacksonville,  111.,  died  in  November,  1891,  at  the  age  of  74. 

He  was  born  at  Concord,  N.  H,,  in  1817.  He  was  educated 
at  Dartmouth  College  and  at  the  Jefferson  Medical  College.  He 
was  superintendent  of  the  New  Hampshire  Asylum  for  the  Insane 
from  1845  to  1854,  and  of  the  Central  Hospital  for  the  Insane 
at  Jacksonville,  111.,  from  1854  to  1870,  from  which  institution 
he  resigned  to  establish  the  Retreat.  He  is  said  to  have  intro- 
duced, and  always  strongly  advocated,  the  cottage  system  of  hos- 
pital care  for  the  insane.  He  was  president  of  the  Association  of 
Medical  Superintendents  of  American  Institutions  of  the  Insane 
at  an  early  day. 

DR.  HUGH  F.  McNARY. 

Hugh  Flournoy  McNary,  A.  B.,  M.  D.,  was  born  at  Princeton, 
Ky.,  January  15,  1837.  He  graduated  from  Cumberland  College, 
Princeton,  in  1857.  He  studied  medicine  in  his  father's  office,  and 
attended  one  course  of  lectures  at  the  Medical  Department  of  the 
University  of  Louisville,  1860-61.  He  graduated  from  the  Medical 
Department  of  Harvard  University  in  1863.  He  entered  the  U.  S. 
Army  service  as  assistant  surgeon  at  Camp  Nelson,  and  served 
subsequently  at  Jeffersonville,  Ind.  He  accompanied  Dr.  Middle- 
ton  Goldsmith  in  General  Banks'  Red  River  campaign.  He  left 
the  U.  S.  Army  August  31,  1865,  and  settled  in  Louisville,  Ky., 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  In  1867  the  Governor  of  Ken- 
tucky appointed  him  physician  to  the  Western  Kentucky  Lunatic 
Asylum  at  Hopkinsville.  He  resigned  this  service  in  1869,  and 
returned  to  Princeton,  and  was  elected  city  and  county  health 
officer.  In  1895  Governor  Bradley  appointed  him  superintendent 
of  the  Central  Kentucky  Asylum  for  the  Insane.  He  entered 
upon  his  duties  with  a  full  sense  of  his  responsibility.  He  in- 
augurated new  methods  of  general  management;  classified  and 
arranged  each  subordinate  department,  and  inaugurated  important 
improvements  in  the  buildings  of  the  institution,  which  were 
rapidly  approaching  completion  when  a  fatal  affection  of  the 
heart  seized  him,  and  on  May  12,  1897,  he  died  at  the  home  of  a 
relative  in  Louisville. 


454  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

SAMUEL  FAIRBANK  MELLEN. 

Samuel  Fairbank  Mellen  was  born  June  ii,  1855,  in  Natal, 
South  Africa,  where  his  father  had  gone  from  ^lassachusetts  as 
a  missionary  four  years  previously.  At  the  age  of  16  he  returned 
to  Massachusetts  and  entered  PhilHps  Andover  Academy,  from 
which  he  subsequently  graduated.  He  entered  Amherst  College, 
from  which  he  received  a  degree  in  1878.  He  studied  medicine  at 
New  York  University  and  received  his  degree  in  1884.  Follow- 
ing this  he  practised  medicine  in  New  Mexico.  He  later  returned 
to  Ossining,  N.  Y.,  and  became  health  officer  of  that  village.  In 
1 89 1  he  entered  the  New  York  State  hospital  service.  He  was 
assistant  physician  in  Willard  State  Hospital  from  1891  to  1898. 
In  1899  hs  became  an  assistant  physician  at  the  Kings  Park  State 
Hospital  and  was  transferred  to  the  Hudson  River  State  Hospital 
in  the  following  year,  where  he  remained  as  an  assistant  physician 
up  to  the  time  of  his  death. 

He  was  a  man  of  upright  character,  conscientious  in  his  deal- 
ings with  others,  and  of  a  very  kindly  nature  which  endeared  him 
to  many.  He  had  scholarly  tastes  and  read  extensively.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Medical  Society  of  Dutchess  County,  of  the 
Medical  Society  of  Westchester  County  and  of  the  American 
Medico-Psychological  Association. 

Following  a  sudden  attack  of  acute  appendicitis,  an  early  opera- 
tion was  performed,  but  peritonitis  set  in  and  he  died  three  days 
later,  July  15,  19 14. 

DR.  S.  WEIR  MITCHELL. 

S.  Weir  Mitchell,  M.  D.,  LL.  D.,  was  born  in  Philadelphia  on 
Februar}--  15,  1829,  and  at  his  death  had  nearly  reached  the  age  of 
85.  He  was  educated  in  the  grammar  schools  of  his  native  city 
and  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  but  did  not  take  an  A.  B. 
degree  because  of  illness  during  his  senior  year.  His  degree  of 
M.  D.  was  taken  at  the  Jefferson  Medical  College  in  1850,  and  in 
1888  he  was  given  an  honorary  M.  D.  at  Bologna.  Harvard  in 
1886,  Edinburgh  in  1895,  Princeton  in  1896.  and  Toronto  in  1906, 
conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  LL.  D. 

He  established  himself  in  practice  in  Philadelphia  and  early 
became  known  for  his  interest  in  physiological  studies  and  subse- 
quently in  neurological  investigations. 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE   UNITED   STATES  455 

During  the  Civil  War  he  had  extended  opportunities  to  study 
gunshot  wounds  and  other  injuries  of  the  nerves  at  the  Turner's 
Lane  Hospital  in  Philadelphia,  established  for  their  care,  of  which 
he  had  charge.  His  work  entitled  "  Gunshot  Wounds  and  Other 
Injuries  of  the  Nerves,"  written  in  conjunction  with  Drs.  George 
P.  Morehouse  and  W.  W,  Keen,  and  published  in  1864,  was  the 
result  largely  of  observations  made  at  this  hospital.  A  larger  work 
by  Dr.  Mitchell,  "  Injuries  of  Nerves  and  Their  Consequences," 
was  issued  in  1872.  In  1873  he  published  "  Wear  and  Tear:  or. 
Hints  for  the  Overworked,"  and  in  1875,  "  Rest  in  the  Treatment 
of  Disease."    In  1877  he  published  "  Fat  and  Blood." 

The  "  Mitchell  Treatment,"  as  it  has  been  called  by  some, 
especially  on  the  Continent,  but  better  known  as  the  "  Rest  Cure," 
detailed  in  the  work  issued  in  1875,  has  been,  with  various  modifi- 
cations, generally  adopted  and  practiced  in  suitable  cases  through- 
out the  world,  and  the  introduction  and  teaching  of  a  systematic 
"  rest  cure  "  made  his  name  more  widely  known  to  the  medical 
profession  than  any  other  contribution  of  his  to  medical  literature. 

For  many  years  he  was  the  leading  neurologist  of  America,  and 
a  certain  proportion  of  his  consultation  practice  had  to  do  with 
mental  cases.  Little  or  nothing,  however,  appeared  from  his  pen 
upon  strictly  psychiatric  topics. 

In  May,  1894,  he  delivered  the  annual  address  at  the  50th  annual 
meeting  of  the  American  Medico- Psychological  Association  in 
Philadelphia.  It  had  been  through  life  a  habit  with  Dr.  Mitchell 
to  place  problems  before  his  associates  and  friends  by  sending  out 
a  questionnaire  upon  topics  which  interested  him,  and  he  followed 
this  custom  in  preparing  this  address.  To  30  of  "  one  of  the  ablest 
groups  of  men  known  to  me  (he  says),  the  neurologists  and  con- 
sultants of  our  cities,"  he  sent  a  letter  asking  for  suggestions,  and 
apparently  received  many.  At  that  time  the  men  to  whom  he 
referred  were  not  fully  familiar  with  the  work  and  methods  of 
those  responsible  for  the  conduct  of  hospitals  for  the  insane  and 
were  not  in  sympathy  with  them.  Nor  was  the  orator  altogether 
well  informed  as  to  the  recent  trend  of  hospital  work  and  methods, 
as  shown  in  the  addresses  of  Dr.  Cowles  and  others  at  the  same 
meeting.  Many  of  the  changes  which  Dr.  Mitchell  suggested 
were  already  in  practice ;  many  were  and  continue  to  be  Utopian. 
Nevertheless  the  address  made  a  strong  impression  and  accom- 


456  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE    OF   THE    INSANE 

plished  good  and  has  been  of  great  value  to  medical  officers  of 
institutions  for  the  insane  who  have  had  occasion  to  ask  their 
managing  boards  to  adopt  advanced  methods  and  to  furnish  more 
medical  assistants  and  better  nursing. 

It  is  seldom  given  to  one  man  to  achieve  fame  in  two  distinct 
departments  of  endeavor.  Dr.  Mitchell  accomplished  this.  After 
establishing  an  enviable  reputation  as  a  neurologist,  he  entered 
the  field  of  literature,  and  as  a  novelist  and  a  poet  attained  almost 
equal  prominence,  but  he  did  not  abandon  his  medical  work.  He 
was  accustomed  to  take  long  summer  vacations,  when  as  far  as 
possible  he  put  aside  medical  work  and  entered  upon  the  joys  of 
literary  creation. 

Investigator,  clinician,  consultant,  poet,  novelist,  man  of  affairs 
— in  all  the  personality  of  the  man  loomed  large.  It  influenced 
the  lives  and  thoughts  of  all  who  came  in  contact  with  him,  either 
personally  or  through  the  printed  page,  and  ever  and  always  that 
influence  was  for  good. 

DR.  THOMAS  J.  MITCHELL. 
Dr.  Thomas  J.  Mitchell  was  born  in  Limestone  County,  Ala., 

July  4,  1834. 

His  early  youth  was  spent  in  Alabama.  He  received  his  literary 
education  at  the  University  of  Alabama,  and  was  granted  a  medical 
diploma  from  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  1852. 

After  graduating,  he  moved  to  Jackson,  Miss.,  and  began  the 
practice  of  medicine,  but  in  1856  he  took  a  post-graduate  course 
in  Europe,  spending  a  year  there.  Returning  to  Mississippi,  he 
was  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  until  1862,  when 
he  entered  the  Confederate  service  as  surgeon  to  the  39th  Missis- 
sippi Regiment. 

After  the  war  he  returned  to  Jackson,  Miss.,  and  engaged  in 
private  practice  until  1878,  when  he  was  appointed  superintendent 
of  the  Mississippi  State  Hospital,  which  position  he  held  until 
May,  1910,  when  he  retired  after  a  continuous  service  of  32 
years. 

In  1858  he  married  Miss  Annie  McWillie,  the  daughter  of 
ex-Governor  McWillie,  of  Mississippi;  to  this  union  were  born 
five  daughters  and  three  sons ;  two  sons  and  two  daughters  sur- 
vive.   His  wife  died  in  1878. 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE   UNITED   STATES  457 

After  his  retirement  he  hved  quietly  in  Jackson,  surrounded  by 
his  children  and  friends,  until  his  death,  September  i6,  191 2. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  State  Medical  Association,  and  at  one 
time  its  president;  of  the  American  Medical  Association  and  of 
the  American  Medico- Psychological  Association.  He  was  a  close 
student  and  keenly  interested  in  everything  pertaining  to  his  pro- 
fession. 

He  entered  upon  institutional  work  under  great  disadvantages, 
as  the  state  was  then  emerging  from  the  misrule  of  the  reconstruc- 
tion period.  The  state  was  all  but  bankrupt,  and  appropriations 
for  the  asylum  were  not  sufficient ;  yet  with  these  disadvantages, 
he  made  a  hard,  but  in  the  end  a  successful,  fight  for  those  intrusted 
to  his  care. 

He  was  courteous  to  all,  and  by  reason  of  his  strict  sense  of 
honor  and  of  duty  to  his  trust  he  merited  the  long  continued 
confidence  of  the  people  whom  he  served  so  well. 

He  was  for  years  one  of  the  leaders  in  the  Episcopal  Church  and 
active  in  all  good  works. 

DR.  JAMES  DUNLOP  MONCURE. 

On  November  10,  1898,  Dr.  James  Dunlop  Moncure,  late  super- 
intendent of  the  Eastern  State  Hospital,  Williamsburg,  Va.,  died 
after  an  illness  of  one  week. 

He  was  born  in  Richmond,  Va.,  in  1842.  After  attending  the 
Abbott  School  in  Fauquier  County,  Va.,  he  was  sent  to  some  of 
the  best  schools  in  France  and  Germany.  At  the  University  of 
Heidelberg  he  began  his  medical  studies.  Returning  to  his  native 
state,  he  entered  the  Virginia  Military  Institute,  where  he  was  a 
student  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War.  At  first  he  was  a 
drillmaster  in  the  corps  of  cadets  at  Camp  Lee,  and  later  served 
in  the  field  as  a  member  of  the  9th  Virginia  Regiment  of  cavalry. 

Resuming  his  medical  studies,  he  attended  at  first  the  University 
of  Virginia  and  later  the  University  of  Maryland,  from  which 
institution  he  graduated  with  honors.  He  practiced  his  profession 
in  Baltimore,  Fauquier  County,  Va.,  Huntington,  W.  Va.,  and 
Richmond  with  success.  While  located  in  Richmond  he  filled  the 
chair  of  adjunct  professor  in  the  Medical  College  of  Virginia.  In 
1876  he  founded  the  Pinel  Hospital,  near  Richmond,  an  institution 
for  the  treatment  of  nervous  diseases,  and  was  its  first  medical 
superintendent. 


4^8  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Virginia  Medical  Society,  the  American 
Medico- Psychological  Association,  the  Medico-Legal  Society  of 
New  York,  etc. 

Owing  to  his  extreme  modesty  and  aversion  to  writing,  he  was 
not  conspicuous  in  the  public  meetings  of  societies  nor  a  frequent 
contributor  to  current  medical  literature;  nevertheless,  he  was  a 
student  of  his  profession,  well  versed  in  its  literature,  familiar 
with  all  advances  in  treatment,  and  recognized  as  an  alienist  of 
ability. 

Few  who  have  held  the  responsible  position  of  superintendent  at 
Williamsburg  possessed  to  a  higher  degree  the  qualities  of  an  ideal 
physician  and  executive  officer.  During  his  administration  of  14 
years  he  made  improvements,  particularly  of  a  structural  nature, 
at  the  institution. 

He  was  twice  married.    His  second  wife  survived  him. 

DR.  WILLIAM  B.  MOSELEY. 

Dr.  William  B.  Moseley,  resident  alienist  of  the  Observation 
Ward  of  the  Kings  County  Hospital,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  died  sud- 
denly on  the  morning  of  June  2^,  1914.  He  was  born  in  Dallas, 
Tex,,  about  45  years  ago.  He  graduated  from  the  U.  S.  Naval 
Academy  at  Annapolis,  Md.,  and  afterwards  took  the  degree  of 
M.  D.  at  the  University  of  Virginia.  He  entered  the  New  York 
State  service  in  August,  1896,  as  an  assistant  physician,  serving 
in  that  capacity  until  March  28,  1904,  when  he  was  transferred 
to  the  Department  of  Public  Charities  of  the  City  of  New  York 
and  placed  in  charge  of  the  observation  ward  of  the  Kings  County 
Hospital,  where  the  number  of  cases  examined  annually  averages 
about  1500  and  where  he  therefore  gained  a  wide  and  valuable 
experience  in  psychiatry.  His  services  were  of  a  high  quality  and 
his  gentle  manner  won  for  him  a  large  circle  of  very  warm  friends. 

DR.  ALBERT  ROSCOE  MOULTON.^ 

Dr.  Albert  Roscoe  Moulton  died  at  his  home  in  Philadelphia, 
August  16,  191 5,  of  uraemia,  after  a  serious  illness  of  six  months, 
although  failing  health  had  necessitated  his  relinquishing  his  work 
in  June  of  the  previous  year. 

*  Furnished  by  Owen  Copp,  M.  D. 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE   UNITED   STATES  459 

Dr.  Moulton  was  bom  of  good  New  England  stock  in  South 
Parsonsfield,  Me.,  September  21,  1852.  He  was  largely  self- 
dependent  for  his  education,  and  early  displayed  in  pursuit  of  it 
that  energy  which  was  characteristic  of  him  in  later  life.  Gradu- 
ating in  1876  from  the  Maine  School  of  Medicine,  at  Portland,  the 
Medical  Department  of  Bowdoin  College,  he  began  his  life  work 
in  psychiatry  soon  thereafter  when  he  became  assistant  physician 
in  the  New  Hampshire  Asylum  at  Concord  under  the  superintend- 
ency  of  Dr.  J.  P.  Bancroft.  A  satisfactory  service  of  about  six 
months  ended  with  his  appointment,  February,  1877,  as  second 
assistant  physician  in  the  McLean  Asylum,  then  at  Somerville, 
Mass.  The  following  September  he  resigned  from  McLean  "  to 
accept  a  permanent  position  in  the  new  hospital  at  Worcester," 
Mass.,  where  he  completed  a  continuous  and  eminently  successful 
work  as  first  assistant  physician,  November  30,  1888.  When  the 
Massachusetts  State  Board  of  Lunacy  and  Charity  decided  to 
appoint  its  first  vnedical  inspector  of  institutions  in  succession 
to  the  distinguished  F.  B.  Sanborn,  who  had  resigned  after  many 
years  as  inspector  of  charities,  their  attention  naturally  turned  to 
Dr.  Moulton,  already  recognized  as  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  pro- 
gressive of  the  phyicians  in  the  state  insane  hospitals.  His  selection 
for  this  important  post  in  December,  1888,  was  most  happy  in  its 
results.  In  his  supervision  of  the  institutions  he  was  alert  and  act- 
ive, sympathetic  and  stimulating,  so  that  the  impulse  forward 
which  he  imparted  was  felt  after  his  departure.  The  wisdom  of 
the  State  Board  in  substituting  medical  for  lay  inspection  of  estab- 
lishments for  the  insane  and  mentally  defective  was  confirmed  by 
the  success  of  his  administration.  There  has  been  no  reversion  to 
the  former  practice. 

Dr.  Moulton  was  influential  in  the  movement  which  led  to  the 
erection  of  the  Medfield  Asylum,  he  was  a  member  of  the  special 
commission  therefor  and  actually  worked  out  the  plans  of  the  build- 
ings. It  is  the  largest  of  the  Massachusetts  institutions  for  the  in- 
sane and  was  the  first  to  be  built  on  the  cottage  plan. 

He  was  greatly  interested  in  family  care  of  the  harmless  insane 
and  was  enthusiastic  in  his  efiforts  to  promote  its  extension  through- 
out the  state. 

There  was  a  general  and  sincere  regret  in  hospital  circles  and 
among  his  many  friends  outside  of  these  when,  in  1891,  Dr.  John  B. 


460  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

Chapin,  who  had  long  known  Dr.  Moulton  and  felt  a  strong-  attrac- 
tion toward  him,  called  him  to  become  his  senior  assistant  physician 
at  the  department  for  men  of  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital  for  the 
Insane.  Here  he  rounded  out  his  long  institutional  career  by  a 
continuous,  faithful  and  efficient  service  of  23  years. 

His  was  a  strong  and  attractive  personality.  His  friendships 
with  his  patients  and  associates  were  warm  and  lasting.  Kindly 
and  faithful  to  his  duties,  broad  and  responsive  in  his  sympathies, 
he  was  also  a  man  of  force  who  left  his  impress  upon  every  situation 
in  his  life. 

He  was  for  many  years  lecturer  on  mental  diseases  in  the  Medical 
Department  of  Bowdoin  College  and  for  a  time  at  the  Woman's 
Medical  College  of  Philadelphia.  In  addition  to  his  membership 
in  this  association  he  was  a  fellow  of  the  College  of  Physicians  of 
Philadelphia,  ex-president  of  the  Philadelphia  Psychiatric  Society, 
member  of  the  Philadelphia  Neurological  Society,  and  of  the 
Pennsylvania  State  and  Philadelphia  County  Medical  Societies. 
His  widow,  residing  in  Philadelphia,  survives  him. 

DR.  PATRICK  LIVINGSTON  MURPHY. 

Patrick  Livingston  Murphy  was  born  in  Sampson  County,  N.  C, 
October  23,  1848.  He  was  prepared  for  college,  but  did  not  take 
a  college  course  owing  to  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,  He 
studied  medicine  first  under  a  preceptor,  then  at  the  University  of 
Virginia,  and  finally  at  the  University  of  Maryland,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  187 1.  Returning  to  North  Carolina,  he  settled  at 
Wilmington,  and  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession. 
Finding  the  routine  of  practice  irksome  he  accepted  a  position  as 
assistant  physician  at  the  Western  Virginia  Asylum  at  Staunton, 
Va.,  to  fit  himself  to  become  superintendent  of  the  West  North 
Carolina  Hospital  at  Morganton,  N.  C.  He  was  appointed  super- 
intendent, and  entered  upon  his  duties  at  the  latter  institution  in 
January,  1883.  He  had  great  success  in  the  management  of  this 
institution,  and  developed  it  into  a  hospital  in  name  as  well  as  in 
fact,  when  through  his  influence  the  name  of  state  institutions  for 
the  insane  was  changed  from  asylum  to  hospital.  His  work  was 
that  of  a  pioneer,  and  he  was  obliged  to  contend  with  meager 
appropriations,  great  misapprehension  of  the  duty  of  the  state 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN"    THE    UNITED   STATES  461 

toward  her  insane,  and  a  heartless  indifference  to  their  welfare 
on  the  part  of  the  legislators. 

He  wrote  no  elaborate  papers  on  insanity,  but  his  reports  and 
pamphlets  showed  him  to  be  a  vigorous  thinker  and  forceful 
writer.  As  a  medical  expert  he  was  considered  very  able  and  was 
often  called  upon  to  give  expert  testimony. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  North  Carolina  State  Board  of  Medical 
Examiners,  president  of  the  State  Medical  Society,  and  at  one 
time  director  of  the  school  for  the  deaf. 

He  died  September  ii,  1907,  after  a  long  and  painful  illness. 

DR.  ALEXANDER  NELLIS,  JR. 

Alexander  Nellis,  Jr.,  first  assistant  physician  of  the  Willard 
State  Hospital,  Willard,  N.  Y.,  died  at  the  hospital  December  27, 
1893,  from  epidemic  influenza,  complicated  by  pneumonia  and 
resulting  in  early  and  extreme  prostration.  Within  a  few  hours 
he  became  delirious  and  unconscious,  and  so  continued  at  intervals 
for  five  days  preceding  the  fatal  termination. 

He  was  born  at  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  February  11,  1846.  He 
received  his  preliminary  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
Amsterdam  and  at  Poughkeepsie.  In  1870  he  registered  as  a 
student  in  the  office  of  Drs.  Snell  and  Robb  of  Amsterdam,  and 
in  December,  1872,  graduated  from  the  Albany  Medical  College. 
After  graduation  he  served  as  an  assistant  city  physician  in  the 
Albany  City  and  County  Almshouse  and  Asylum,  and  in  October, 
1873,  was  appointed  assistant  physician  at  the  Willard  State  Hos- 
pital, then  known  as  the  Willard  Asylum.  He  remained  at  Willard 
until  May,  1880,  when  he  removed  to  Denver.  Later  he  received 
an  appointment  as  surgeon  to  the  Mexican  National  Railway,  then 
in  process  of  construction,  and  removed  to  Corpus  Christi,  and 
afterwards  to  Laredo,  where  he  saw  much  of  frontier  life.  In 
1883  he  was  reappointed  assistant  physician  at  Willard,  and  in 
1889  was  made  first  assistant  physician.  In  October,  1889,  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Mary  E.  Meddick,  who  survives  him. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Montgomery  and  Seneca  County  med- 
ical societies  and  president  of  the  latter  in  1885.  He  was  an 
active  member  of  the  American  Medico-Psychological  Associa- 
tion.    His  published  contributions  are :    "  Report  on  a  Case  of 


462  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

Acute  Mania,"  Alienist  and  Neurologist,  1884;  the  presidential  ad- 
dress, Seneca  County  Medical  Society,  "  Insanity  and  its  Treat- 
ment," published  by  request  of  the  Society  June,  1887 ;  "  Report 
on  a  Case  of  Atrophy  of  Brain  and  Idiocy,"  American  Journal  of 
Ifisanity,  October,  1887.  He  also  assisted  in  the  compilation  of 
the  general  index  of  the  first  45  volumes  of  The  American  Journal 
of  Insanity,  published  at  Willard  in  1889. 

He  entered  the  service  of  the  Willard  State  Hospital  four  years 
after  the  institution  began  its  active  work.  He  was  a  witness  of 
its  growth  and  an  efficient  agent  in  its  development. 

DR.  CHARLES  H.  NICHOLS. 

Dr.  Charles  H.  Nichols  was  born  in  Maine  in  1820.    He  received 

his  education  at  the  Friends'  School  at  Providence,  R.  I.,  and 
graduated  from  the  Medical  Department  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania  in  1843.  He  was  appointed  assistant  physician  of 
the  State  Lunatic  Asylum  at  Utica,  N.  Y.,  in  1848,  and  received 
the  appointment  of  superintendent  of  the  Bloomingdale  Asylum  in 
1849,  which  he  resigned  in  1852  to  accept  the  superintendency  of 
the  Government  Hospital  for  the  Insane  at  Washington.  He  pre- 
pared the  plans  and  superintended  the  construction  of  that  hospital 
and  directed  its  affairs  with  great  ability  and  satisfaction  to  the 
government  until  his  resignation  in  August,  1877,  when  he  was 
again  appointed  superintendent  of  the  Bloomingdale  Asylum. 

On  assuming  charge  of  Bloomingdale  Asyltun  Dr.  Nichols  de- 
voted himself  with  his  accustomed  energy  and  assiduity  to  the 
erection  of  new  buildings  and  the  improvement  of  the  whole  in- 
stitution ;  and  when  it  was  determined  to  build  a  new  institution 
at  White  Plains  he  was  requested  by  the  managers  of  the  asylum 
to  visit  Europe  and  examine  the  different  institutions  there  with 
the  view  of  adopting  the  best  plans  that  could  be  devised  for  the 
new  Bloomingdale  Hospital.  He  sailed  from  New  York  on  July 
7,  1889,  and  visited  and  took  careful  notes  of  various  institutions 
in  Great  Britain  and  on  the  Continent,  returning  to  Bloomingdale 
on  November  i,  1889.  He  died  a  short  time  after  his  return,  on 
December  16,  1889. 


BIOGEIAPHIES   IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  463 

DR.  ALFRED  IRA  NOBLE. 

Dr.  Alfred  Ira  Noble  was  born  in  Fairfield,  Me.,  March  3,  1856, 
and  died  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  on  January  20,  1916. 

He  received  the  degree  of  A.  B.  from  Colby  College,  Maine, 
in  1883,  and  M.  D.  from  Bowdoin  College  in  1886.  On  August 
2^,  1887,  he  married  Ella  Annie  Boole.  He  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine  in  Boston  for  one  year,  then  became  associated 
with  the  Worcester  State  Hospital  as  first  assistant  physician,  and 
later  as  assistant  superintendent.  He  held  the  latter  position  until 
1905?  when  he  received  the  appointment  of  medical  superintendent 
of  the  Kalamazoo  State  Hospital  at  Kalamazoo,  Mich.,  which 
position  he  held  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

For  a  number  of  years  he  was  secretary  of  the  New  England 
Psychological  Society.  He  was  a  fellow  of  the  Massachusetts 
Medical  Society  and  the  American  Medical  Association,  and  mem- 
ber of  the  Worcester  Medical  Association,  the  American  Medico- 
Psychological  Association,  the  Detroit  Society  of  Neurology  and 
Psychiatry,  the  Michigan  State  Medical  Society  and  the  Kalamazoo 
Academy  of  Medicine. 

He  contributed  from  time  to  time  to  medical  literature  and  also  to 
the  general  public  well  prepared  and  scholarly  papers  on  medical 
and  sociological  topics.  A  paper,  "  Shorter  Hours  for  Nurses  and 
Attendants,"  marked  the  beginning  of  an  important  change  in 
hospital  management. 

During  his  administration  at  the  Kalamazoo  State  Hospital  he 
planned  and  directed  the  construction  of  Van  Deusen  Hospital,  a 
receiving  hospital  for  women.  He  also  constructed  a  laboratory 
for  pathological  and  research  work.  He  recognized  and  empha- 
sized the  value  of  occupation,  not  only  as  a  curative  measure,  but 
as  a  means  of  reeducation  of  chronic  custodial  cases ;  and  through 
his  efforts  a  large  custodial  building  was  in  process  of  construction 
at  the  time  of  his  death  which  will  remain  as  a  monument  to  his 
efforts  in  this  direction.  One  of  his  last  acts  was  to  improve  the 
standard  of  the  training  school  for  nurses,  raising  the  require- 
ments for  admission,  extending  the  course  to  three  years,  and 
requiring  nine  months'  training  in  some  general  hospital.  He  was 
conservative,  yet  always  progressive,  a  man  of  high  ideals,  and 


464  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

possessing  a  wealth  of  tact,  diplomacy  and  sincerity  which  won 
the  confidence  and  lasting  friendship  of  the  public,  his  patients  and 
associates. 

DR.  HENRY  SMITH  NOBLE. 

Dr.  Henry  Smith  Noble,  superintendent  of  the  Connecticut  Hos- 
pital for  the  Insane,  Middletown,  Conn.,  died  suddenly  on  Tues- 
day, March  16,  191 5,  at  the  home  of  his  nephew,  Dr.  George  S. 
Bidwell,  in  Waterbury,  Vt.,  where  he  had  gone  for  rest  and  re- 
cuperation. He  was  of  New  England  ancestry,  born  October  8, 
1845,  ^t  Harrisburg,  Vt.  He  attended  the  public  schools  and  the 
academy  in  his  native  town  and  later  became  a.  student  at  the 
Green  Mountain  Institute  at  South  Woodstock,  where  he  was  a 
teacher  while  fitting  himself  for  Tufts  College.  He  graduated 
from  Tufts  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  in  the  class  of  1869,  in  which 
he  stood  second. 

As  a  young  man  he  had  practical  knowledge  of  hard  work  in 
his  father's  shop  and  upon  the  farm.  He  learned  the  trade  of 
blacksmith  in  his  father's  smithy  and  was  competent  to  carry  it  on. 
His  father  believed  that  "  every  man  should  have  a  trade,  and  if 
reverses  came  it  would  always  be  an  available  as  well  as  a  valuable 
asset." 

He  began  his  medical  studies  with  Dr.  D.  W.  Hazelton,  of  Caven- 
dish, Vt.,  and  took  his  first  course  of  lectures  at  the  University  of 
Vermont,  and  a  second  course  in  1871  at  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  in  New  York,  from  which  institution  he  received 
his  degree  of  M.  D.  He  spent  the  following  year  at  the  Hartford 
(Conn.)  City  Hospital  as  an  interne.  He  began  the  practice  of 
his  profession  in  1872  at  Chester,  Vt.,  where  he  remained  until 
the  fall  of  1879.  In  1880  he  was  appointed  second  assistant  phy- 
sician at  the  Hartford  Retreat  and  in  the  same  year  became 
assistant  physician  at  the  Connecticut  Hospital  for  the  Insane.  In 
1882  he  held  the  same  position  at  the  Michigan  State  Hospital  at 
Kalamazoo,  but  returned  to  the  Connecticut  Hospital  for  the  Insane 
in  1884.  He  spent  the  summer  of  1886  in  Europe  and  upon  his 
return  was  made  first  assistant  physician  to  the  Connecticut  Hos- 
pital for  the  Insane.  In  September,  1898,  he  became  assistant 
superintendent  of  the  hospital,  and  in  October,  1901,  was  appointed 
superintendent. 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED    STATES  465 

Dr.  Noble  was  a  member  of  the  Connecticut  State  Medical 
Society,  the  American  Medical  Association,  the  Neurological  So- 
ciety of  New  York,  the  Connecticut  Society  of  Mental  Hygiene, 
and  of  the  American  Medico-Psychological  Association. 

DR.  WILLIAM  NOYES. 

Dr.  William  Noyes  died  at  his  home  in  Jamaica  Plain,  Mass., 
October  20,  1915.  The  end  came  suddenly  after  an  illness  of  many 
months,  the  gravity  of  which  he  fully  realized. 

He  was  the  son  of  William  and  Martha  Jane  (Bailey)  Noyes,  and 
was  bom  in  Boston,  November  6,  1857.  He  was  graduated  from 
Harvard  University  with  the  class  of  1881  and  from  the  Harvard 
Medical  School  in  1885.  While  in  the  school  he  was  a  clinical  clerk 
in  the  Danvers  State  Hospital  for  four  months,  and  after  gradua- 
tion accepted  a  fellowship  in  psychology  at  The  Johns  Hopkins 
University.  He  was  for  a  short  time  resident  physician  of  the  Bal- 
timore City  Lunatic  Hospital,  and  in  December,  1885,  was  appoint- 
ed second  assistant  physician  of  Bloomingdale  Hospital,  New  York. 

He  early  became  interested  in  the  field  of  research  in  psychiatry, 
and  in  February,  1889,  accepted  an  invitation  to  organize  a  psycho- 
logical laboratory  at  the  McLean  Hospital,  supplementing  his  pre- 
vious preparation  for  the  work  by  nine  months  of  study  in  Vienna 
and  Berlin. 

It  was  pioneer  work,  difficult  and  too  often  yielding  negative 
results,  which  he  modestly  declined  to  publish,  so  that  of  much  that 
he  did  there  is  no  record.  Among  other  studies  he  made  investiga- 
tions on  the  reflexes  and  published  a  part  of  his  work  in  an  impor- 
tant paper  "  On  Certain  Peculiarities  of  the  Knee-jerk  in  Sleep  in 
a  Case  of  Terminal  Dementia."  He  made  frequent  contributions 
of  critical  reviews  chiefly  to  the  American  Journal  of  Psychology. 

In  February,  1892,  he  accepted  the  position  of  assistant  physician 
of  the  Massachusettts  Hospital  for  Dipsomaniacs  and  Inebriates, 
where  he  remained  until  April,  1896,  when  he  was  elected  superin- 
tendent of  the  men's  department  of  the  Boston  State  Hospital.  He 
was  made  superintendent  of  both  departments  of  the  hospital  in 
May,  1905,  which  position  he  held  until  January,  1910,  when  he 
resigned  to  engage  in  private  practice. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  change  to  the  clinical  and  execu- 
tive field  was  due  to  the  lack  of  appreciation  in  that  day  of  the 


466  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

money  value  of  purely  scientific  work,  which  unfortunately  still  ob- 
tains, though  in  a  less  degree. 

He  was  connected  with  the  Boston  State  Hospital  for  nearly  14 
years  and  gave  it  faithful  service.  It  was  a  transition  period,  the 
many  difficulties  and  anxieties  of  which  no  doubt  contributed  mate- 
rially to  the  onset  and  progress  of  his  illness. 

After  his  retirement  from  hospital  life  he  made  a  careful  investi- 
gation and  census  of  the  feeble-minded  outside  of  institutions  in 
Massachusetts  at  the  request  of  the  State  Board  of  Insanity,  and 
rendered  to  the  board  a  most  interesting  and  valuable  report,  which 
unfortunately  has  not  been  published. 

For  many  years  he  was  a  clinical  instructor  in  mental  diseases  in 
the  Harvard  Medical  School.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Medical  Society,  the  American  Neurological  Association,  the 
American  Medico-Psychological  xA.ssociation,  and  the  Boston  Soci- 
ety of  Psychiatry  and  Neurology,  of  which  he  was  the  secretary  at 
the  time  of  his  death. 

He  was  an  able  man,  of  good  judgement,  but  it  was  not  easy  for 
him  to  make  decisions  in  important  matters,  and  he  did  his  work 
with  many  anxieties,  contrary  to  the  impression  he  gave  those  with 
whom  he  was  not  intimate.  He  was  modest,  sensitive,  a  man  of 
warm  friendships,  domestic  in  his  tastes,  a  loving  husband  and 
father.  His  death  at  a  comparatively  early  age  was  a  distinct  loss 
to  the  medical  profession. 

DR.  JAMES  OLMSTEAD. 

Dr.  James  Olmstead,  superintendent  of  the  Connecticut  Hospital 
for  the  Insane,  died  at  the  Hotel  Grenoble,  New  York  City,  Decem- 
ber 4,  1897,  after  an  illness  of  about  two  months,  resulting  from 
overwork,  exhaustion  of  vital  forces  and  mal-assimilation  of  food. 

He  was  born  in  New  Haven  and  was  educated  at  Yale  Uni- 
versity, graduating  third  in  the  class  of  1872.  Upon  receiving 
his  academic  degree  he  pursued  the  study  of  medicine  in  the  Yale 
University  Medical  School,  and  received  the  degree  of  M.  D.  He 
became  an  interne  in  the  New  Haven  Hospital,  after  which  he 
began  general  practice  in  Middletown,  Conn.  In  1876  he  was 
appointed  an  assistant  physician,  and  upon  the  death  of  Dr.  Shew, 
the  superintendent  of  the  Connecticut  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  in 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  467 

1886,  he  was  called  by  the  Board  of  Trustees  to  succeed  him,  and 
served  there  long  and  faithfully. 

In  1882  he  married  Miss  Emma  Parmeton,  daughter  of  the  late 
John  Parmeton,  of  Derry,  N.  H.,  who  with  one  daughter  survives 
him.  For  many  years  he  had  been  prostrated,  for  a  period  varying 
from  two  to  five  weeks  during  each  summer  by  symptoms  similar 
to  those  which  characterized  his  final  illness,  but  after  a  period  of 
rest  and  treatment  he  had  apparently  recovered.  In  his  last  attack 
his  vital  forces  were  too  much  exhausted  for  him  to  rally.  A  little 
more  than  two  weeks  prior  to  his  death  he  was  persuaded  to  go 
to  New  York  for  much-needed  rest  and  treatment,  but  the  change 
came  too  late,  and  despite  the  most  skillful  treatment  and  advice 
which  the  city  afforded  he  sank  rapidly. 

DR.  JOHN  ORDRONAUX. 

John  Ordronaux,  a  medico-jurisprudent,  only  son  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Charreton)  Ordronaux,  was  born  in  New  York,  Au- 
gust 3,  1830.  His  father,  a  Frenchman,  dying  in  1841,  the  lad  was 
adopted  by  John  Moulton,  of  Roslyn,  L.  I.  He  received  his  A.  B. 
at  Dartmouth  in  1850,  and  his  LL.  B.  at  Harvard  in  1852.  For 
two  years  he  practiced  law  at  Taunton,  Mass.,  then  removed  to 
New  York.  He  received  the  degree  of  M.  D.  from  the  National 
Medical  College,  Washington,  D.  C,  in  1859.  On  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Civil  War  he  was  made  examining  surgeon  for  volun- 
teers in  Brooklyn,  and  in  1864  was  appointed  assistant  surgeon  of 
the  15th  Regiment,  New  York  National  Guards.  During  this  time 
he  published  the  first  American  work  on  military  hygiene,  "  Hints 
on  Health  in  Armies,"  and  a  "  Manual  for  Military  Surgeons  on 
the  Examinations  of  Recruits  and  Discharge  of  Soldiers."  His 
most  important  works  were  "  Jurisprudence  of  Medicine  "  (1869) 
and  "  Judicial  Aspects  of  Insanity  "  (1878),  both  of  which  passed 
through  several  editions.  He  also  wrote  copiously  for  the  medical 
and  legal  press.  He  was  New  York  State  Commissioner  in 
Lunacy  from  1874  to  1882.  For  48  years  he  was  professor  of 
medical  jurisprudence  in  various  prominent  schools  of  law  and 
medicine.  His  teaching  record  is  as  follows:  1860-1906,  Colum- 
bia Law  School ;  1864-1908,  Dartmouth  Medical  School ;  1865- 
1873,  National  Medical  College,  Washington,  D.  C,  and  in  the 

37 


468  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

law  school  of  the  same  (Columbia)  University;  1865-1873,  Uni- 
versity of  Vermont,  Medical  Department;  1872-1889,  Boston  Uni- 
versity Law  School. 

In  1870  he  received  the  degree  of  LL.  D.  from  Trinity  College, 
and  in  1895  the  same  degree  from  Dartmouth. 

Dr.  Ordronaux  was  a  small,  slender,  frail-looking  man  ("  of 
the  ramrod  type,"  as  one  of  his  army  comrades  expressed  it),  but 
well  built  and  wiry.  His  hair  was  red,  in  later  life  white.  His 
complexion  was  pallid,  his  eyes  were  keen,  luminous  and  dark. 
He  was  slow,  methodical  and  thoughtful,  except  when  excited, 
when  he  was  rapid  and  voluble. 

He  was  timid  physically  and  socially.  He  was  so  sensitive  that 
the  slightest  physical  hostility,  or  even  opposition  which  savored 
of  hostility,  caused  him  to  retire  within  himself.  If  when  testify- 
ing as  an  expert  in  court  the  cross-examination  became  over- 
bearing or  brow-beating  in  character,  he  could  scarcely  (as  he 
often  informed  his  friends)  refrain  from  bursting  into  tears.  He 
was  pertinacious  in  his  opinions,  but  the  mental  and  emotional 
strain  sometimes  made  him  ill.  He  had  few  friends,  in  the  ordi- 
nary acceptance  of  the  word,  but  everyone  who  knew  him  loved 
him. 

He  was  a  man  of  simple  and  economical  tastes.  For  many 
years  he  limited  his  expenditure  for  his  daily  luncheon  to  25 
cents;  after  being  remonstrated  with  upon  the  matter  by  his 
friends  he  allowed  himself  thereafter  the  princely  sum  of  40 
cents.  He  denied  himself  many  pleasures  for  the  sake  of  saving 
the  money  which  they  would  cost. 

He  was  fond  of  books  and  was  an  authority  upon  them,  yet  he 
had  not  a  large  library.  Although  he  had  ample  means,  motives 
of  prudence  and  economy  always  caused  him  to  consider  the  advisa- 
bility of  purchasing  a  book. 

He  was  a  communicant  of  the  Episcopal  Church  and  a  regular 
attendant  at  the  services,  and  most  earnest  in  his  responses  and 
singing.  During  the  absence  of  the  rector  he  occasionally  con- 
ducted the  services  himself  and  read  a  sermon,  usually  one  of 
Jeremy  Bentham's. 

He  was  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  and  on  Memorial  Day  at 
the  funerals  of  deceased  members  of  his  Grand  Army  post  he 
would  don  his  uniform  and  march  with  the  rest. 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE   UNITED   STATES  469 

He  had  great  intellectual  activity.  Early  in  his  career  he  pub- 
lished a  poetical  translation  of  the  Regimen  of  the  School  of 
Salernum,  which  is  much  prized  by  collectors  and  scholars.  He 
was  also  a  profound  theologian  and  had  a  greater  knowledge  of 
theological  dogma  and  ecclesiastical  history  than  most  clergymen 
and  professors  of  theology.  In  the  legal  profession  he  was  recog- 
nized as  a  keen,  close  reasoner  and  was  employed  in  many  cele- 
brated cases. 

He  suffered  from  great  depression  at  times,  and  was  then  well- 
nigh  inaccessible  even  to  his  intimate  friends. 

He  died  January  20,  1908. 

DR.  GEORGE  CULVER  PALMER. 

Dr.  George  Culver  Palmer  died  at  Oak  Grove,  Flint,  Mich., 
August  17,  1894. 

He  had  been  in  somewhat  impaired  health  for  several  years, 
his  failure  dating  from  an  attack  of  pleurisy  in  1888,  but  he  did 
not  become  seriously  ill  until  April,  1893. 

Dr.  Palmer  was  born  in  Stonington,  Conn.,  December  27,  1839. 
His  early  education  was  obtained  in  the  country  schools.  He 
prepared  for  Brown  University  at  the  Connecticut  Literary  In- 
stitute at  Suffield,  but  subsequently  changing  his  plans  entered  the 
University  of  Michigan  in  i860,  where  he  spent  one  year,  subse- 
quently entering  the  medical  department  and  graduating  there- 
from in  1864.  Immediately  afterward  he  received  an  appoint- 
ment in  the  Asylum  for  the  Insane  at  Kalamazoo.  There  he  served 
as  assistant  physician  until  1872,  and  as  assistant  medical  superin- 
tendent for  the  following  six  years.  In  1878  he  was  elected 
medical  superintendent,  which  position  he  occupied  until  1891, 
when  he  resigned  to  assume  the  duties  of  medical  director  of  Oak 
Grove.  Although  his  contributions  to  medical  literature  are  not 
numerous,  he  was  a  vigorous,  forceful  and  persuasive  writer.  He 
distrusted  his  ability  to  write  and  once  remarked  that  "  some 
people  write  for  fame  but  I  because  I  must."  The  satisfactory 
development  of  the  colony  system  in  Michigan  was  largely  due 
to  his  efforts,  and  the  opponents  of  state  care  of  the  insane  found 
in  him  a  determined,  steadfast  and  earnest  adversary. 


470  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE    OF   THE    INSANE 

DR.  JOHN  G.  PARK. 

John  Gray  Park,  A.  B.,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Groton,  Mass., 
January  3,  1838,  the  son  of  John  G.  and  Maria  (Thayer)  Park. 
He  graduated  at  Harvard  University  with  the  degree  of  A.  B. 
in  1858.  While  pursuing  the  study  of  medicine  at  the  Harvard 
Medical  School  in  1861  he  became  an  interne  at  the  Massachu- 
setts General  Hospital.  In  February,  1862,  he  was  appointed  an 
acting  assistant  surgeon  in  the  U.  S.  Navy  and  served  as  such 
until  November,  1865,  when  he  was  honorably  discharged.  He 
resumed  his  medical  studies  and  received  the  degree  of  M.  D.  in 
1866,  soon  afterwards  opening  an  office  in  Worcester,  Mass.  In 
1 87 1  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  Worcester  City  Hos- 
pital, then  just  opened.  In  October,  1872,  he  married  EHzabeth 
B.,  daughter  of  Hon.  A.  F.  Lawrence,  of  Groton,  and  in  the  same 
month  received  an  appointment  as  assistant  superintendent  of  the 
Worcester  Insane  Hospital  which  position  he  filled  until  1877, 
when  upon  the  transfer  of  Dr.  B.  D.  Eastman,  the  superintendent 
to  the  Worcester  Lunatic  Hospital,  he  was  made  superintendent  of 
the  Worcester  Insane  Asylum,  then  converted  into  an  institution  for 
the  chronic  insane.  Upon  the  retirement  of  Dr.  B.  D.  Eastman  as 
superintendent  of  the  Worcester  Lunatic  Hospital  in  1879  he  was 
appointed  his  successor  and  served  the  institution  efiBciently  and 
continuously  until  his  retirement  in  1890.  He  spent  the  summer  of 
1881  in  Europe  and  devoted  special  attention  to  English  methods 
of  caring  for  the  insane. 

In  his  career  as  superintendent  he  had  high  ideals  of  profes- 
sional duty  and  labored  indefatigably  to  attain  them.  The  circular 
observation  wards  which  he  built  for  suicidal  patients  attracted 
much  attention  and  were  regarded  a  new  departure  in  the  care 
of  such  patients.  He  also  perfected  the  superb  institution  over 
which  he  had  been  placed,  and  was  ever  a  sagacious  and  prudent 
administrator.  He  was  an  excellent  organizer  and  a  good  man 
of  business,  and  under  his  management  the  Worcester  Lunatic 
Hospital  enjoyed  a  deserved  prosperity.  The  failure  of  his  health 
in  1890  led  him  to  go  to  the  Pacific  Coast  for  a  long  vacation, 
which,  unfortunately,  did  not  fully  restore  him  to  health,  and  his 
resignation  followed.     He  then  removed  to  his  former  home  at 


DR.   J.   G     PARK. 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN   THE   UNITED   STATES  471 

Groton,  Mass.,  where  he  continued  to  reside  until  his  death, 
although  several  winters  were  passed  in  California. 

In  1894  he  was  appointed  by  the  Governor  one  of  the  commis- 
sioners to  build  the  Medfield  Insane  Hospital,  and  when  the  hos- 
pital was  completed  and  opened  he  became  chairman  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees,  a  position  which  he  held  during  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  He  was  much  interested  in  the  work  of  this  hospital  and 
gave  much  time  and  thought  to  his  public  duties  in  connection 
with  it. 

His  health  gradually  failed  and  he  finally  entered  the  Worces- 
ter City  Hospital  for  treatment,  where  he  died  of  cirrhosis  of  the 
liver,  August  29,  1905.  His  wife  died  after  a  lingering  and  dis- 
tressing illness  in  1903.  One  son,  Lawrence  Park,  an  architect  of 
Boston,  living  in  Groton,  survives  him,  together  with  three  grand- 
children. 

DR.  RALPH  LYMAN  PARSONS. 

Ralph  Lyman  Parsons  was  born  July  30,  1828,  at  Prattsburg, 
Steuben  County,  N.  Y.  He  received  his  early  education  at  the 
Franklin  Academy  of  that  town,  subsequently  continued  his  studies 
at  Amherst  College,  where  he  graduated  in  1853,  and  pursuing  his 
medical  studies  in  the  New  York  Medical  College,  graduated  M.  D. 
from  that  institution  in  March,  1857.  Until  i860  he  was  assistant 
physician  at  the  New  York  City  Lunatic  Asylum,  and  from  1862 
to  1865  in  private  practice  in  New  York  and  visiting  physician 
to  De  Milt  Dispensary.  In  1865  he  became  medical  superintendent 
of  the  New  York  City  Lunatic  Asylum,  and  filled  that  position  for 
12  years. 

He  served  most  faithfully  during  epidemics  of  typhus  fever  and 
cholera  which  destroyed  the  lives  of  many  patients.  During  this 
trying  period  he  had  an  overcrowded  institution,  untrained  at- 
tendants and  an  inadequate  number  of  medical  assistants,  de- 
ficiencies in  diet  and  clothing  and  lack  of  facilities  for  proper 
classification.  He  utilized  the  pavilion  system  of  building  on 
Blackwell's  Island  and  favored  the  isolation  of  epileptic  patients, 
and  his  patients  are  said  to  have  formed  the  nucleus  of  the  first 
epileptic  hospital  in  these  pavilions  under  the  charge  of  Dr. 
Echeverria. 


472  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

In  1877  and  1878  he  was  medical  superintendent  of  Kings 
County  Hospital  for  the  Insane.  Upon  his  retirement  he  was 
in  private  practice  again  in  New  York  for  two  years.  In  1880 
he  established  a  private  sanitarium  for  mental  diseases  at  Sing 
Sing,  later  Ossining,  N.  Y.,  where  he  died  in  February,  1914,  at 
the  age  of  86  years.  He  retained  his  mental  and  physical  activity 
until  his  death. 

DR.  T.  O.  POWELL.* 

T.  O.  Powell  was  president  of  the  American  Medico-Psycholog- 
ical Association  during  its  session  in  Baltimore  in  1897. 

He  was  born  in  Brunswick  County,  Va.,  in  1837,  and  was  in 
his  70th  year  at  the  time  of  his  death.  His  father  moved  to 
Georgia  when  he  was  a  child  and  he  received  his  academic  and 
his  professional  education  in  that  state — his  medical  diploma  from 
the  college  in  Augusta,  in  1859.  During  the  Civil  War  he  en- 
listed in  the  Confederate  Army  and  was  assistant  surgeon  of  the 
49th  Georgia  Regiment.  He  accepted  the  appointment  of  assistant 
physician  in  the  State  Institution  for  the  Insane  at  Milledgeville 
in  1862  and  held  the  position  for  17  years  under  Dr.  Green,  who 
died  in  1879.  He  was  promptly  elected  his  successor.  For  28 
years  he  remained  superintendent,  until  his  death.  For  45  years 
he  was  a  medical  officer  in  the  same  state  institution.  It  speaks 
well  for  Georgia,  that  for  so  long  a  time  politics  were  not  allowed 
to  interfere  with  the  official  management  of  its  insane.  He  saw 
his  hospital  grow  from  a  few  patients  to  one  of  the  largest  in 
this  country,  numbering  nearly  3000  patients  at  the  time  of  his 
death. 

After  a  long  period  of  ill  health  he  died  from  acute  pneumonia 
at  Tate  Springs,  Tenn.,  August  18,  1907. 

ENOCH  PRATT. 

Enoch  Pratt  was  born  in  Middleborough,  Plymouth  County, 
Massachusetts,  September  10,  1808,  and  died  September  17,  1896. 

He  was  the  son  of  Isaac  Pratt  and  Naomi  (Keith)  Pratt,  who 
was  descended  from  Phineas  Pratt,  who  came  to  Plymouth,  Massa- 
chusetts, on  the  ship  Ann  in  1623. 

*  By  Dr.  J.  T.  Searcy. 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  473 

After  serving  an  apprenticeship  of  six  years  in  a  Boston  store, 
Enoch  Pratt  moved  to  Baltimore  in  183 1  and  engaged  in  business. 
He  founded  the  successful  wholesale  iron  house  of  E.  Pratt  and 
Brother,  and  was  for  many  years  president  of  the  National  Farm- 
ers' and  Planters'  Bank  of  Baltimore.  He  was  also  connected  as 
officer  or  director  with  various  financial  institutions  and  charitable 
establishments.  He  was  one  of  the  managers  of  the  Maryland 
Hospital  for  the  Insane,  Spring  Grove,  Catonsville,  shortly  after 
the  Civil  War, 

In  1882  he  presented  a  plan  to  the  Mayor  and  the  City  Council 
of  Baltimore  for  the  establishment  of  a  circulating  library  for  the 
residents  of  the  city,  expressing  his  wish  that  the  library  and  its 
facilities  should  be  open  to  all  "  rich  and  poor  without  distinction 
of  race  or  color  when  properly  accredited."  He  gave  to  the  city 
a  sum  of  more  than  $800,000,  with  the  request  that  the  city 
should  create  in  return  a  perpetual  annuity  of  $50,000  for  the  sup- 
port and  maintenance  of  libraries,  to  be  paid  to  a  Board  of  Trus- 
tees selected  by  Mr.  Pratt  and  vested  with  powers  of  self  per- 
petuation. The  Central  Library  was  completed  and  turned  over 
to  the  trustees  in  1884  and  since  that  time  many  branch  libraries 
have  been  established. 

Upon  his  death,  as  narrated  elsewhere,^  it  was  found  that  his 
will  made  The  Trustees  of  the  Sheppard  Asylum  his  residuary 
legatee  upon  the  condition  that  at  the  first  session  of  the  Legis- 
lature after  his  death  they  obtain  an  amendment  of  their  charter, 
changing  the  corporate  title  to  The  Trustees  of  the  Sheppard  and 
Enoch  Pratt  Hospital.  Mr.  Pratt  stated  specifically  in  his  will 
that  he  did  not  wish  to  alter  the  operations  of  the  institution  as 
then  carried  on,  but  desired  that  the  income  from  his  benefaction 
be  used  for  the  completion  of  the  buildings  then  in  use  and  im- 
proving the  grounds  and  that  subsequently  the  income  be  devoted 
mainly  to  the  care  of  indigent  patients  either  free  or  at  such  low 
rates  as  seemed  best  in  the  judgment  of  the  trustees.  The  sum 
received  from  his  estate  was  over  $1,175,000,  and  the  income  has 
permitted  the  trustees  annually  to  care  for  an  increased  number 
of  patients  who  are  unable  to  pay  for  their  care  and  support  or 
able  to  pay  minimum  rates  only,  to  which  charitable  ends  the  in- 

*  See  Vol.  II,  p.  565,  history  of  The  Sheppard  &  Enoch  Pratt  Hospital. 


474  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

come  from  Mr.  Sheppard's  bequest  had  been  devoted  as  far  as 
possible  prior  to  the  reception  of  the  bequest  of  Mr.  Pratt. 

The  two  sums  donated  by  Moses  Sheppard  and  Enoch  Pratt 
remain  intact  and  represent  a  benefaction  devoted  to  the  care 
of  the  insane  larger  than  had  ever  been  before  given  for  the  same 
purpose  in  the  United  States. 

DR.  FOSTER  PRATT. 

Foster  Pratt  was  born  at  Mt.  Morris,  N.  Y.,  January  9,  1823. 
His  father,  the  Rev.  Bartholomew  Pratt,  was  of  English  descent ; 
his  mother,  Susan  (McNair)  Pratt,  of  Scotch  Irish.  Their  an- 
cestors landed  in  Plymouth  in  1622.  He  had  his  early  schooling 
at  Fi-anklin  Academy,  Prattsburg,  N.  Y. ;  then  being  thrown  on 
his  own  resources  at  the  age  of  17,  he  taught  school  for  seven 
years.  In  1847  he  entered  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  taking 
his  degree  of  M,  D.  there  in  1849.  He  began  practice  at  Romney, 
Va.,  and  soon  acquired  a  large  clientele,  but  removed  to  Kalama- 
zoo, Mich.,  in  1856. 

In  1858  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Legislature  on  an  inde- 
pendent ticket,  where,  in  the  face  of  strong  opposition,  he 
secured  an  appropriation  of  $100,000  for  the  completion  of  the 
Michigan  Insane  Asylum  at  Kalamazoo,  the  first  large  appropria- 
tion made  by  the  state.  At  the  beginning  of  the  war  he  assisted 
in  raising  the  13th  Regiment  of  Michigan  Volunteers,  and  was 
appointed  surgeon.  He  remained  with  it  through  the  war,  accom- 
panied Sherman  in  his  march  to  the  sea,  and  was  mustered  out  at 
Louisville,  Ky.,  in  1865,  resuming  practice  at  Kalamazoo.  He 
was  president  of  the  Michigan  State  Medical  Society  and  an 
honorary  member  of  the  American  Medico-Psychological  Associa- 
tion. In  his  presidential  address  before  the  State  Medical  Society 
of  1877  he  pointed  out  the  defects  in  the  educational  methods  of 
the  medical  profession  and  insisted  that  the  only  remedy  was  a 
more  perfect  medical  organization.  He  gave  much  time  to  pro- 
moting in  Michigan  a  better  preliminary  education  of  medical 
students ;  a  more  thorough  technical  training ;  the  management  of 
professional  affairs  by  professional  men,  and  the  promotion  of  the 
organization  needed  to  secure  conditions  essential  to  a  proper 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE   UNITED   STATES  475 

evolution  of  the  profession.  Dr.  Pratt  was  a  man  of  striking 
personality,  tall,  well-proportioned,  handsome,  and  a  born  leader. 

He  died  suddenly  at  Kalamazoo,  Mich.,  August  12,  1898,  from 
heart  failure  following  occasional  attacks  of  angina  pectoris. 

The  following  are  some  of  his  published  papers  :  "  Legal  Rela- 
tions of  Insane  Patients  "  (Transactions  of  Michigan  State  Med- 
ical Society,  1878)  ;  "  Legal  Responsibility  of  Surgeons  for  Un- 
united Fractures "  (Transactions  of  Michigan  State  Medical 
Society,  1882)  ;  "  Immigration  and  Insanity  "  (a  paper  presented 
to  the  American  Medico-Psychological  Association  in  1886), 

DR.  ROBERT  J.  PRESTON. 

Robert  J.  Preston,  the  son  of  John  F.  Preston,  of  Washington 
County,  Va.,  was  born  in  that  county  in  1841. 

He  went  as  a  lad  to  Emory  and  Henry  College,  Virginia,  taking 
the  degree  of  A.  M.,  and  then  studying  medicine  at  and  graduating 
from  the  University  of  Virginia  in  1867. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Tri-State  Medical  Association  of  the 
Carolinas  and  Virginia ;  honorary  fellowship  was  conferred  upon 
him  by  the  Boston  Gynecological  Association,  the  Lynchburg 
(Va.)  Academy  of  Medicine,  and  the  Medical  Society  of  Virginia 

(1895). 

During  the  Civil  War  he  served  his  state  first  as  a  private  and, 
later,  by  promotion  as  a  captain  in  the  21st  Virginia  Cavalry,  and 
made  for  himself  a  record  for  gallantry.  He  joined  the  Medical 
Society  of  Virginia  in  1871  and  was  elected  to  the  presidency  in 
1894 ;  the  same  honor  was  conferred  upon  him  by  the  Abingdon 
Academy  of  Medicine  and  by  the  American  Medico-Psychological 
Association  in  1892.  In  1887  he  was  elected  first  assistant  phy- 
sician to  the  Southwestern  State  Hospital  (for  the  insane),  and 
in  November,  1888,  superintendent  of  the  same,  which  position  he 
filled  until  his  death. 

As  superintendent  of  the  hospital  he  made  a  faithful  and  popu- 
lar official;  a  good  disciplinarian,  using  reason  and  persuasion 
rather  than  harshness  and  force ;  he  was  eminently  successful  in 
the  management  of  his  patients. 

In  1906,  while  en  route  for  Toronto,  Can.,  to  attend  a  meeting 
of  the  British  Medical  Association,  he  was  taken  ill  at  Lewiston, 
N.  Y.,  and  died  suddenly  at  that  place  on  the  20th  of  August. 


4/6  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

His  contributions  to  medical  literature  were  numerous ;  some 
of  his  more  important  articles  were:  "Rupture  of  the  Uterus, 
Xew  Symptons "  (Virginia  Medical  Monthly,  Vol.  I,  1874); 
'■'  Report  on  Advances  in  Diseases  of  Women  and  Children  " ; 
(Transactions  of  the  Medical  Society  of  Virginia,  1877)  ; 
"Puerperal  Fever"  (Virginia  Medical  Monthly,  Vol.  II,  1874)  ; 
"  Associated  Dining-  Rooms,  Their  ]\Ioral  and  Curative  Effect," 
(Ibid.,  Yo\.  XVI)  ;  "  Sexual  Mces — Their  Relation  to  Insanity — 
Causative  or  Consequent  "  (Ibid.,  Vol.  XV)  ;  "  IVIental,  Moral  and 
Hygienic  Therapeutics  in  Relation  to  Home  Life  and  in  General 
Practice,"  president's  address  to  Virginia  Medical  Society  (Trans- 
actions, 1895)  ;  ''Reviews  of  the  Progress,  Care,  Maintenance  of 
the  Insane  in  Virginia  During  the  Years  1887-1897,  Inclusive  " 
(Transactions  of  the  Medical  Society  of  Virginia,  1898)  ;  "  Rup- 
ture of  the  Carotid  Artery — Successfully  Ligated  "  (Virginia 
Medical  Semi-Monthly,  Vol.  VIII). 

HOX.  JOHX  V.  L.  PRUYN. 

John  y.  L.  Pruyn,  born  in  Albany  in  181 1,  was  descended  from 
one  of  the  oldest  families  of  that  city,  and  became  one  of  its  best 
known  representatives.  Educated  as  a  lawyer,  he  early  in  his 
legal  career  displayed  high  ability  in  important  and  complicated 
cases.  His  public  life,  which  was  exceptionally  active,  was  char- 
acterized by  a  high  degree  of  rectitude  and  conscientiousness.  He 
never  sought  office,  but  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  State  Senate 
in  1861  and  of  Congress  in  1863  and  in  1867.  His  high  sense  of 
public  duty  was  revealed  when  he  consented  to  accept  the  nomina- 
tion to  the  State  Senate  only  upon  condition  that  neither  he  nor 
his  friends  should  be  called  upon  to  contribute  any  money,  directly 
or  indirectly,  to  control  the  vote  of  an  elector ;  at  the  close  of  the 
session  he  gave  his  salary  to  the  poor  of  the  City  of  y\lbany.  He 
was  one  of  the  original  commissioners  to  erect  the  new  State 
Capitol,  and  on  July  7,  1869,  after  placing  the  first  stone  of 
the  foundation,  he  closed  some  appropriate  remarks  as  follows : 
"  Here  may  wise  laws  be  enacted ;  here  may  purity  and  integrity 
of  purpose  always  mark  the  action  of  executive  power;  here  may 
justice,  the  attribute  of  deity,  be  inflexibly  administered,  and  may 
Almighty  God  bless  the  state  and  prosper  the  undertaking." 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  477 

Mr.  Pruyn's  efforts  in  the  fields  of  philanthropy  and  education 
remain  as  his  most  enduring  achievements,  and  yet  not  in  such  a 
way  as  to  identify  his  name  with  them.  He  engaged  in  work  of 
this  character  at  a  time  when  the  evolution  of  systematic  charity 
was  in  its  infancy,  and  his  influence  in  the  right  direction  remains 
in  the  various  institutions  which  he  originated  and  promoted. 
When  chosen  by  Hermanns  Bleecker  to  carry  out  the  provisions 
of  his  will  in  the  establishment  of  some  public  institution  for  the 
City  of  Albany,  he  transferred  the  bequest  to  the  late  Judge  Amasa 
J.  Parker,  who  utilized  the  Bleecker  fund  for  the  Young  Men's 
Association  for  Mutual  Improvement,  now  one  of  the  most  use- 
ful and  prominent  institutions  of  the  city. 

In  May,  1844,  at  the  age  of  33,  Mr.  Pruyn  was  appointed  a 
regent  of  the  University  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  in 
January,  1862,  he  was  chosen  chancellor.  He  was  regent  for  over 
33  years,  and  chancellor  for  over  15.  The  Board  of  Regents  is  a 
somewhat  unique  body,  with  power  of  visitation  and  direction  of 
the  educational  system  of  the  state,  but  not  directly  concerned  in 
the  management  of  the  individual  institutions.  Standards  of  edu- 
cation are  established  by  this  board,  which  in  its  organization  is 
entirely  free  from  partisan  or  political  influences. 

Mr.  Pruyn  was  also  a  member  of  the  Executive  Committee  of 
the  State  Normal  School  at  Albany,  and  president  of  the  board 
of  St.  Stephen's  College  at  Annandale,  N.  Y.,  a  training  school  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  His  direct  connection  with  the 
interests  of  the  insane  in  the  state  came  about  through  his  mem- 
bership in  the  State  Board  of  Charities,  the  establishment  of 
which  he  had  suggested  to  Governor  Fenton  in  1866 ;  from  the 
time  of  its  organization  in  1867  he  was  its  president,  with  a  slight 
interruption,  until  his  death.  The  idea  governing  the  organization 
of  the  State  Board  of  Charities  was  to  provide  supervision  for  all 
the  institutions  in  the  state  which  had  the  care  of  defectives  or 
delinquents.  At  that  time  the  management  of  such  institutions 
was  vested  in  local  boards  composed  of  men  of  high  standing  in 
their  separate  communities.  In  the  interest  of  public  welfare  it 
was  thought  wise  that  an  impartial  and  independent  body  should 
have  the  power  to  review  the  activities  of  these  institutions  and  to 
assist  local  boards  by  comparison  and  study  in  evolving  the  best 


478  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

possible  plans  of  care.  It  was  not  the  intention  of  the  state  at 
that  time  to  centralize  the  administration  in  any  general  board  at 
Albany,  but  to  afiford  an  opportunity  for  criticism  and  advice  which 
would  be  of  assistance.  The  board  has  since  continued  to  work 
upon  this  admirable  general  plan. 

It  is  said  that  to  Mr.  Pruyn  more  than  to  any  other  man  is 
the  state  indebted  for  one  of  its  most  valuable  and  efificient  or- 
ganizations. In  his  multitudinous  labors  as  a  public  man  he  ac- 
cepted no  compensation,  and  never  allowed  the  state  to  pay  even 
his  traveling  expenses,  but  gave  his  time  and  energy  freely.  He 
also  availed  himself  of  every  opportunity  of  encouraging  letters, 
art  and  good  work. 

DR.  HENRY  K.  PUSEY. 

Dr.  Pusey  was  born  January  2,  1827.  His  parents  both  belonged 
to  Quaker  families,  and  were  Marylanders,  who  settled  at  Gar- 
nettsville,  Ky.,  in  1822,  His  education  was  obtained  in  the  local 
schools.  At  18  years  of  age  he  entered  the  office  of  Dr.  Bryan  R. 
Young,  at  Elizabethtown,  a  prominent  physician  in  Kentucky. 
Afterwards  he  entered  the  University  of  Louisville,  where  he 
graduated  in  1848,  and  began  practice  at  Garnettsville.  Here  for 
35  years  he  led  the  life  of  a  busy  country  practitioner,  wielding 
a  wide  influence  in  his  profession  and  in  the  community.  In  1883 
he  retired  from  practice  and  removed  to  Louisville,  to  spend  the 
remainder  of  his  life  in  retirement,  but  had  hardly  reached  Louis- 
ville before  he  was  appointed  to  take  charge  of  the  Central  Asylum 
at  Lakeland,  and  accepted  the  position.  The  asylum  then  had  553 
patients,  400  of  whom  were  well  housed,  but  crowded  into  two 
large  buildings,  where  careful  classification  was  impossible ;  the 
remaining  150  in  two  old  frame  buildings  no  longer  suitable  for 
habitation.  There  was  no  adequate  water  supply  or  sewerage 
system ;  the  heating  arrangements  and  the  fire  protection  were 
insufficient  and  bad ;  the  only  means  of  artificial  illumination  was 
by  kerosene  lamps.  The  problems  of  water  supply  and  sewerage 
were  so  grave  as  to  threaten  the  existence  of  the  institution. 
Added  to  this,  the  asylum  finances  had  shown  for  the  year  previous 
a  deficit  of  over  $10,000. 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE   UNITED   STATES  479 

On  the  other  side  of  the  account  there  was  an  appropriation  of 
$30,000  available  for  a  new  building. 

In  June,  1888,  the  newly  elected  Governor,  S.  B.  Buckner,  called 
for  Dr.  Pusey's  resignation,  for  political  reasons.  The  displace- 
ment of  Dr.  Pusey  provoked  widespread  and  severe  criticism 
throughout  the  state ;  and,  probably  in  order  to  shield  himself,  the 
Governor  and  his  superintendents  undertook,  by  intimation,  to 
cast  reflections  upon  the  administration  of  Dr.  Pusey  from  an 
economic  standpoint — probably  they  felt  the  hopelessness  of  any 
attack,  even  indirect,  from  a  humanitarian  standpoint.  The  reply 
which  Dr.  Pusey  immediately  published  left  nothing  to  be  desired. 

On  the  election  of  Governor  Brown,  in  1891,  Dr.  Pusey  was 
again  asked  to  take  charge  of  the  Central  Asylum.  During  the 
interim  of  his  retirement  his  interest  in  the  asylum  work  of  the 
state  had  not  flagged. 

When  he  re-entered  the  asylum  he  found  things  practically  as 
he  had  left  them,  except  for  the  reduction,  under  a  false  effort  at 
economy,  of  the  annual  per  capita  from  $150  to  $135.  He  was, 
therefore,  able  to  take  up  his  work  practically  at  the  point  where 
he  had  left  off,  and  he  at  once  began  to  work  along  the  lines 
pursued  during  his  first  administration  of  the  institution.  During 
his  second  administration  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  prac- 
tically all  of  the  measures  for  which  he  had  worked  brought  to  a 
successful  issue. 

He  left  the  Central  Asylum  in  the  summer  of  1895,  this  time 
feeling  sure  that  his  lifework  was  ended,  and  hoping  that  with 
rest  he  would  regain  his  health.  His  health,  however,  gradually 
grew  worse,  and,  finally,  becoming  very  nervous  and  being  greatly 
worried  by  the  city  noises,  he  left  Louisville  and  went  to  his  country 
home  at  Garnettsville.  There,  after  an  illness  of  a  few  weeks,  he 
died  in  his  70th  year,  on  September  i,  1896. 

DR.  MARK  RANNEY. 

Dr.  Mark  Ranney,  superintendent  of  the  Iowa  Hospital  for  the 
Insane  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  died  of  acute  pneumonia,  January  31, 
1882. 

He  was  born  in  Westminster,  Vt.,  July  7,  1827.  His  early 
education  was  obtained  in  the  schools  of  his  native  state.     He 


480  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE    OF   THE    INSANE 

Studied  medicine  in  the  offices  of  eminent  physicians  in  Provi- 
dence and  Boston,  and  graduated  from  the  Vermont  Medical 
College  at  Woodstock  in  1849. 

Soon  after  graduation  he  was  appointed  an  assistant  physician 
to  the  Butler  Hospital  at  Providence,  R.  I.,  then  under  the  charge 
of  Dr.  Isaac  Ray. 

After  five  years  at  the  Butler  Hospital  he  accepted  an  appoint- 
ment at  the  McLean  Asylum  at  Somerville,  Mass.,  under  Dr. 
Luther  V.  Bell. 

In  1865,  after  a  thorough  training  of  more  than  15  years  as 
assistant  physician,  he  was  made  superintendent  of  the  Iowa  Hos- 
pital for  the  Insane  at  Mt.  Pleasant. 

In  1872,  in  consequence  of  legislation  affecting  the  manage- 
ment of  the  hospital,  which  he  thought  would  seriously  hamper 
his  work,  he  resigned  his  position,  intending  to  retire  from  hos- 
pital work,  but  being  invited  by  the  trustees  of  the  hospital  at 
Aladison,  Wis.,  to  become  superintendent  there,  he  accepted  the 
position. 

After  less  than  two  years  at  ]\Iadison,  a  vacancy  occurring  in 
the  management  of  the  Iowa  Hospital,  by  unanimous  vote  of  the 
trustees  he  was  invited  to  return  and  assume  its  management  in 
July,  1874,  and  thereafter  was  its  executive  head  until  his  death. 

Dr.  Ranney  was  an  expert  in  hospital  organization  and  manage- 
ment and  the  care  and  treatment  of  the  insane. 

In  the  daily  work  of  the  hospital  nothing  was  too  small  to  merit 
his  consideration ;  his  ability  to  grasp  and  carry  in  mind  the  details 
of  hospital  work  was  unusual.  His  executive  ability  was  supple- 
mented by  rare  good  judgment  outside  of  strictly  professional 
matters. 

For  several  years  he  was  lecturer  on  insanity  in  the  medical 
department  of  the  Iowa  State  University,  to  the  complete  satis- 
faction of  the  faculty  and  students.  He  gave  much  attention  to  the 
jurisprudence  of  insanity,  and  his  services  as  an  expert  witness 
were  frequently  in  demand  in  the  courts  of  Iowa. 

DR.  ISAAC  RAY. 

Dr.  Ray  was  born  at  Beverly,  Mass.,  January  16,  1807,  and  died 
in  Philadelphia  March  31,  1881.  His  literary  education  was  re- 
ceived at  Phillips  Academy  and  Bowdoin  College,  where  he  de- 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  481 

frayed  his  expenses  by  teaching  school  during  the  vacations.  He 
commenced  the  study  of  medicine  in  the  office  of  Dr.  Shattuck, 
of  Boston,  and  graduated  at  Harvard  Medical  School  in  1827 
and  entered  upon  the  practice  of  medicine  in  Portland,  Me.  He 
soon  moved  to  Eastport,  Me.,  where,  in  1838,  he  published  his 
first  work,  "  The  Medical  Jurisprudence  of  Insanity,"  a  book 
which  has  passed  through  many  editions,  and  has  been  largely 
quoted  by  criminal  lawyers. 

In  1841  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  State  Hospital 
for  the  Insane  at  Augusta,  Me.,  where  he  remained  till  1846, 
when  he  accepted  an  appointment  to  the  superintendency  of  the 
Butler  Hospital,  at  Providence,  R.  I.  After  a  short  visit  to 
Europe,  and  an  examination  of  some  of  the  principal  institutions 
of  England  and  the  Continent,  he  returned  to  Providence  and 
supervised  the  construction  of  the  buildings  for  the  Butler  Hos- 
pital, which  was  finally  opened  in  1847.  I"  this  work  he  had  the 
assistance  of  Dr.  Bell  of  the  McLean  Asylum,  who  contributed 
materially  in  the  arrangement  of  the  details.  At  Butler  Hospital, 
Dr.  Ray  remained  a  laborious  administrator  and  faithful  student 
until  the  year  1867,  when,  from  considerations  of  health,  he  re- 
signed, and  removed  to  Philadelphia. 

He  was  one  of  the  "  original  thirteen  "  who,  in  1844,  organized 
the  "  Association  of  Medical  Superintendents  of  American  Insti- 
tutions for  the  Insane,"  and  was  its  president  from  May,  1855,  to 
May,  1859.  In  1863  he  published  a  second  work,  entitled,  "  Mental 
Hygiene,"  and  in  1873  a  third,  entitled  "  Contributions  to  Mental 
Pathology,"  a  title  which  covered  such  "  contributions  "  as  he  had 
already  made  in  the  way  of  papers,  review  articles  and  reports 
pertaining  to  insanity.  In  Philadelphia,  where  his  health  im- 
proved, his  life  was  far  from  an  idle  one.  Besides  frequent  calls 
upon  him  for  professional  consultations,  and  expert  testimony  in 
criminal  cases  before  the  courts  or  in  testamentary  disputes,  his 
pen  was  constantly  engaged  upon  work  for  the  medical  and  literary 
journals  and  papers  for  the  various  associations  to  which  he 
belonged.  Dr.  Ray  was  seldom  or  never  absent  from  the  meetings 
of  the  Association  of  Medical  Superintendents,  and  kept  up  the 
liveliest  interest  in  its  discussion  up  to  the  time  of  his  death. 

Dr.  Ray  was  also  an  interested  reader  of  religious  works,  and 
a  man  of  strong  religious  conviction.     His  funeral  took  place  at 


482  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE    OF   THE    INSANE 

Providence,  from  the  chapel  of  the  Butler  Hospital,  where  his 
principal  life  work  had  been,  and  the  interment  was  in  the  adjoin- 
ing cemetery.  The  Congregational  minister  who  officiated  testi- 
fied in  an  emphatic  manner  to  the  depth  and  reality  of  his  religious 
character,  as  well  as  to  the  eminence  and  beneficent  influence  of 
his  scientific  attainments. 

DR.  JOSEPH  ALLISON  REED. 

Dr.  Joseph  Allison  Reed,  superintendent  of  the  Western  Penn- 
sylvania Hospital  at  Dixmont,  died  December  6,  1884,  after  an 
illness  of  several  years ;  for  a  year  before  his  death  he  had  been 
unable  to  leave  his  room. 

He  was  born  in  Washington,  Pa.,  December  31,  1823,  and  was 
in  the  6ist  year  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  educated  at 
Washington  College,  and  became  Master  in  Arts  in  1842.  He 
received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  at  Jefiferson  Medical 
College  in  1847.  He  settled  in  Allegheny  and  became  especially 
successful  in  the  treatment  of  mental  disorders.  Owing  to  this 
success,  in  1857  he  was  sohcited  to  take  charge  of  the  Western 
Pennsylvania  Hospital,  which  needed  a  competent  executive  head. 
He  accepted  the  position  and  in  a  year  placed  the  institution  on  a 
sound  financial  basis.  After  seven  years  as  physician-in-charge 
he  became  superintendent  of  the  insane  department,  and  held  the 
position  until  his  death. 

On  several  occasions  he  had  desired  to  resign  because  of  ill 
health,  but  the  directors  refused  to  accept  his  resignation;  at  a 
meeting  of  the  Executive  Board  of  the  hospital,  held  a  week 
before  his  death,  he  was  given  a  six-months'  leave  of  absence, 
with  the  hope  that  complete  rest  and  freedom  from  anxiety  might 
so  improve  his  health  as  to  enable  him  to  resume  his  duties. 

Until  incapacitated  by  sickness  he  was  an  active  worker  and 
deeply  interested  in  everything  connected  with  the  welfare  of  the 
patients  under  his  charge. 

DR.  ALBERT  REYNOLDS. 

Dr.  Albert  Reynolds  was  born  at  Grand  Island,  Vt.,  in  1837,  and 
died  in  Clinton,  Iowa,  February  23,  1899.  His  education  in  letters 
and  in  medicine  was  acquired  in  his  native  state.    He  served  two 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE   UNITED   STATES  483 

years  as  a  volunteer  in  the  Civil  War.  While  Dr.  Edwin  R. 
Chapin  was  superintendent,  and  Dr.  Carlos  F.  MacDonald  an 
assistant  physician,  he  was  a  member  of  the  staff  of  the  Kings 
County  Lunatic  Asylum  at  Flatbush,  N.  Y. 

He  located  in  Clinton,  Iowa,  in  1867,  and  there  married. 

In  1873  he  became  superintendent  of  and  opened  the  Hospital 
for  the  Insane  at  Independence,  Iowa. 

After  a  faithful  and  successful  service,  he  retired  from  office 
in  1 88 1  on  account  of  failing-  health,  and  resumed  private  practice 
in  Clinton.  He  continued  in  the  active  practice  of  his  profession 
until  a  few  weeks  before  his  death. 

He  lectured  upon  insanity  in  the  Medical  Department  of  the 
State  University  of  Iowa  for  several  years.  He  was  held  in  un- 
usual esteem  by  his  patients  and  in  the  homes  visited  by  him. 

DR.  ALONZO  B.  RICHARDSON. 

Alonzo  B.  Richardson  was  born  near  Harrisonville,  Scioto 
County,  Ohio,  September  9,  1852,  and  died  in  Washington,  D.  C, 
June  27,  1903. 

He  entered  the  Ohio  University  at  Athens  at  the  age  of  18,  and 
remained  for  two  years,  when  he  entered  the  Ohio  Wesleyan 
University,  which  he  attended  for  nearly  two  years,  but  was  absent 
a  portion  of  one  year  to  teach  in  a  country  school.  In  1874  he 
entered  a  medical  college  at  Cincinnati,  and  the  next  year  went  to 
Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College,  New  York  City,  where  he 
graduated  in  1876. 

Returning  to  Ohio,  he  received  an  appointment  as  assistant 
physician  under  Dr.  Richard  Gundry  at  the  Athens  State  Hospital. 

In  1878,  when,  by  a  political  reorganization  of  the  institution,  a 
new  management  was  installed,  he  removed  to  Portsmouth  and 
began  the  practice  of  medicine.  In  1880,  on  the  transfer  of  Dr. 
H.  C.  Rutter  from  the  hospital  at  Athens  to  that  at  Columbus, 
he  was  elected  his  successor  at  Athens.  He  remained  there  until 
1890,  when,  after  a  political  reorganization,  he  removed  to  Cin- 
cinnati, and  entered  upon  the  practice  of  the  specialty  of  nervous 
and  mental  diseases.  In  1892,  without  solicitation  or  suggestion 
on  his  part,  he  was  elected  superintendent  of  the  Columbus  State 
Hospital.     He  retained  this  position  until  the  completion  of  the 

38 


484  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

new  hospital  at  Massillon  in  1898.  He  had  been  one  of  the 
trustees  of  this  institution  and  largely  shaped  its  plans  and  took 
a  deep  interest  in  its  construction.  He  was  made  its  first  superin- 
tendent, and  had  the  task  and  the  privilege  of  completing  an 
enterprise  which  he  had  fostered  and  guided  from  its  beginning. 

He  had  scarcely  completed  the  organization  of  the  hospital  at 
Massillon  when  a  vacancy  occurred  in  the  superintendency  of  the 
Government  Hospital  for  the  Insane  in  Washington,  D.  C,  which 
in  October,  1899,  he  was  appointed  to  "fill.  His  work  there  was 
enormous  and  made  heavy  drafts  upon  his  energies.  Through 
his  efforts  liberal  appropriations  were  secured,  additional  land  was 
bought,  and  plans  were  adopted  for  a  greater  enlargement  of  the 
institution.  But  before  these  plans  could  be  realized  he  died 
suddenly  of  apoplexy. 

DR.  DAVID  DORRINGTON  RICHARDSON. 

David  Dorrington  Richardson  was  born  May  11,  1837,  at  Rich- 
mond, Va.,  and  died  March  6,  1906,  at  Norristown,  Pa. 

His  preparatory  education  was  gained  at  Transylvania  Uni- 
versity, Lexington,  Ky.,  from  the  Medical  Department  of  which 
he  was  graduated  as  a  Doctor  of  Medicine  after  three  courses 
of  lectures  in  February,  1858.  He  removed  to  Philadelphia  the 
following  spring  and  organized  a  successful  school  to  prepare  stu- 
dents for  their  degrees  and  physicians  for  the  army  and  navy 
examinations. 

He  served  from  1858  to  1861  as  interne  in  the  Howard  and 
Philadelphia  hospitals.  In  1861  he  was  appointed  resident  phy- 
sician of  the  Northern  Dispensary  of  Philadelphia,  and  held  this 
position  until  December,  1866,  when  he  was  appointed  superin- 
tendent and  physician-in-chief  of  the  Philadelphia  Hospital,  De- 
partment for  the  Insane.  In  1871  he  received  the  degree  of  M.  D. 
from  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  Medical  Department.  In 
1879  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  State  Hospital  for 
the  Insane,  Warren,  Pa.,  and  served  until  July,  1881,  when  he  was 
recalled  to  the  Philadelphia  Hospital.  He  remained  until  1886, 
when  he  retired  to  engage  in  private  practice.  Institutional  life 
and  work  were,  however,  more  attractive  to  him,  and  in  1889  ^^ 
took  the  superintendency  of  the  hospital  at  Farnhurst,  Del.,  which 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE   UNITED   STATES  485 

he  organized  and  conducted  until  1893,  when  he  resigned  to  take 
charge  of  the  male  department  of  the  State  Hospital  at  Norris- 
town,  Pa.,  and  remained  until  his  death. 

For  eight  years  he  was  demonstrator  in  the  Philadelphia  School 
of  Anatomy,  under  the  late  Dr.  D.  Hayes  Agnew.  He  was  also 
assistant  demonstrator  of  anatomy  in  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania for  several  years. 

Dr.  Richardson  published  the  "  Chemical  Remembrancer  " ; 
"  Old  and  New  Notation  of  Chemistry  Reconciled,"  and  "  Clinical 
Lectures  on  Insanity."  He  was  a  member  of  the  American  Med- 
ical Association,  of  the  American  Medico-Psychological  Associa- 
tion, the  Philadelphia  County  Medical  Society,  and  the  Philadel- 
phia Neurological  Society. 

DR.  WILLIAM  H.  ROCKWELL. 

Dr.  William  H.  Rockwell  was  born  in  East  Windsor,  Conn., 
February  15,  1800.  He  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1824,  and 
from  the  Medical  Department  of  the  same  institution  in  1831. 
In  1827,  while  a  student  of  Dr.  Hubbard  at  Pomfret,  Conn.,  he 
was  appointed  assistant  to  Dr.  Todd,  of  the  Hartford  Retreat, 
and  remained  connected  with  it  for  the  greater  part  of  the  time 
thereafter  until  his  appointment  to  the  Vermont  Asylum,  June 
28,  1836.  During  the  illness  of  Dr.  Todd  and  until  the  appoint- 
ment of  Dr.  Fuller,  he  had  charge  of  the  Retreat,  and  wrote  the 
report  for  1834. 

He  was  prevented  from  attending  the  first  meeting  of  the  asso- 
ciation by  reason  of  a  bill  pending  in  the  Legislature  of  Vermont 
which  demanded  his  attention  in  the  interests  of  the  insane.  Tall, 
robust  and  vigorous  in  appearance,  of  a  kind,  gentle  and  pleasant 
disposition,  he  was  eminently  a  practical  man,  giving  special  care 
to  the  occupation  of  his  patients  and  laboring  earnestly  for  their 
benefit  in  every  way  in  his  power. 

Few  men  possessed  such  qualifications  for  surmounting  difficul- 
ties as  he,  and  the  history  of  the  institution  at  Brattleboro  gives 
evidence  of  his  indefatigable  energy.  He  was  pre-eminently  self- 
reliant,  and  though  he  differed  from  some  of  his  colleagues  in 
matters  of  practical  management,  he  was  scrupulously  faithful  to 
his  convictions  and  to  his  trusts. 


486  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

For  a  year  and  a  half  preceding  his  death  he  was  confined  to 
his  bed  by  a  fractured  Hmb,  and  while  gradually  wearing  away, 
and  sinking  to  final  rest  the  strong  points  of  his  character  shone 
out  with  striking  brilliancy.  Realizing  that  his  work  was  done, 
and  that  he  had  done  it  faithfully,  he  expressed  his  willingness 
to  be  judged  by  it;  undisturbed  by  the  shafts  of  malice  and  in- 
discriminate censure,  he  calmly  observed  "  that  his  work  would 
be  better  appreciated  and  his  motives  better  understood  after  he 
had  gone."    He  died  on  the  30th  of  November,  1873. 

DR.  JAMES  RODMAN. 

Dr.  James  Rodman  was  born  in  New  Castle,  Ky.,  in  1829.  He 
graduated  from  the  University  of  Louisville  in  1849.  In  1863  he 
was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  Western  Hospital  for  the 
Insane  at  Hopkinsville,  and  retained  this  position  until  1889,  when 
he  resigned,  much  to  the  regret  of  all  who  knew  of  the  excellence 
of  his  work.  He  was  highly  regarded  as  an  administrator  and 
practical  alienist,  although,  as  he  wrote  and  published  little,  his 
reputation  was  largely  confined  to  the  region  in  which  he  lived. 
He  was  the  first  superintendent  of  the  Institute  for  the  Feeble- 
minded at  Frankfort,  Ky. 

He  died  January  10,  1902,  at  Hopkinsville,  Ky. 

DR.  JOSEPH  GOODWIN  ROGERS. 

Joseph  Goodwin  Rogers  was  born  in  Madison,  Ind.,  November 
23,  1841,  the  son  of  Dr.  Joseph  H.  D.  and  Abby  Goodwin  Lane 
Rogers.  His  father  was  a  giant  in  stature  and  of  great  force  of 
character  as  befitted  a  pioneer  physician  in  Indiana  and  Kentucky 
at  an  early  day.  His  mother  was  a  gentlewoman  of  refined  and 
cultivated  tastes.  From  his  father  he  inherited  a  sturdy,  forceful 
and  strong  character ;  from  his  mother  refined  tastes,  high  ideals 
and  an  artistic  temperament.  His  education  was  largely  derived 
from  his  mother,  as  at  the  early  age  of  eight  he  suffered  from 
Pott's  Disease  and  for  many  years  was  confined  to  his  bed.  He 
became  a  diligent  student  and  an  omnivorous  reader  of  good  books 
and  was  self-taught  to  a  remarkable  degree.  At  the  age  of  18 
he  began  to  study  medicine  under  his  father's  direction,  later  at 
the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine,  and  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  487 

College,  New  York,  receiving  from  the  latter  the  degree  of  M.  D. 
in  1864.  He  served  as  a  surgeon  in  a  military  hospital  until  the 
close  of  the  Civil  War,  and  then  went  abroad  for  two  years  of 
travel  and  study.  He  fitted  himself  to  practice  as  an  ophthalmolo- 
gist, and  upon  his  return  entered  upon  a  successful  career  at 
Madison,  Ind. 

In  1879  he  was  offered  the  superintendency  of  the  Indiana  Hos- 
pital for  the  Insane  at  Indianapolis,  which  he  accepted  as  a  duty 
to  the  public  after  much  hesitation  and  at  great  personal  sacrifice. 
For  four  years  he  devoted  himself  to  the  reorganization  and 
development  of  the  hospital  and  freed  it  from  political  and  parti- 
san interference.  He  proved  to  be  too  much  in  advance  of  public 
opinion  and  preferred  to  retire  with  honor  rather  than  to  sacrifice 
high  ideals  of  right  and  duty. 

His  special  fitness  for  hospital  management,  however,  had  been 
proved  and  in  1883  he  was  selected  by  the  Governor  and  a  newly 
appointed  commission  to  be  medical  engineer  for  the  erection  of 
three  hospitals  for  the  insane.  He  entered  upon  his  duties  with 
enthusiasm  and  energy  and  at  the  end  of  five  years  had  planned 
and  erected  the  Northern  Hospital  at  Logansport,  the  Eastern 
Hospital  at  Richmond  and  the  Southern  Hospital  at  Evansville, 
three  modern  hospitals,  fully  abreast  of  the  most  advanced  ideas 
of  hospital  construction.  Singularly  enough,  they  were  exponents 
of  three  distinct  hospital  types,  the  pavilion,  the  cottage  and  the 
radiate  plans  respectively,  and  stand  to-day  as  monuments  of  his 
ability  and  versatility. 

When  he  had  completed  his  labors  as  medical  engineer  he  was 
offered  the  choice  of  the  superintendency  of  whichever  one  of  the 
hospitals  he  might  prefer.  He  chose  the  hospital  at  Logansport, 
and  from  May,  1888,  until  the  day  of  his  death  continued  in 
medical  charge  of  it.  Under  his  skilled  direction  the  Northern 
Hospital,  in  physical  economy,  humane  methods  and  medical  care, 
reached  the  highest  development. 

Amid  his  varied  duties  and  lines  of  activity,  he  remained  essen- 
tially a  physician  whose  professional  attainments  were  of  a  high 
order  and  he  kept  abreast  of  the  progress  of  general  medicine  and 
psychiatry. 

His  writings  include  a  long  list  of  reports,  state  papers,  and 
monographs,  all  of  which  were  carefully  prepared. 


488  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

In  1885  he  received  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy 
from  Hanover  College.  In  1900  he  was  president  of  the  American 
Medico-Psychological  Association  at  the  Richmond  meeting  and 
delivered  an  illuminating  address  on  "  Hospital  Construction." 
For  four  years  he  filled  the  chair  of  materia  medica  and  therapeu- 
tics at  the  Indiana  Medical  College  at  Indianapolis. 

In  June,  1872,  he  married  Margaret  Watson,  of  Bedford,  Pa., 
who,  with  three  daughters  and  two  sons,  survives  him.  His  home 
life  was  perfect  and  in  it  as  husband  and  parent  he  found  the 
greatest  happiness  of  his  life. 

He  died  April  11,  1908,  of  chronic  nephritis,  after  a  long  illness 
at  the  Northern  Indiana  Hospital,  Logansport. 

DR.  GEORGE  HENRY  ROHE. 

The  parents  of  Dr.  Rohe,  John  and  Mary  Fuchs  Rohe,  were 
natives  of  Bohemia,  and  he  was  born  in  Baltimore  on  the  26th  of 
January,  1851,  and  educated  in  the  public  schools,  afterwards 
studying  medicine  with  Dr.  F.  Erich  and  taking  the  degree  of 
M.  D.  at  the  University  of  Maryland  in  1873.  For  some  years 
afterwards  he  was  connected  with  the  U.  S.  Signal  Service,  but 
while  in  Boston  studied  dermatology  and  after  leaving  the  Signal 
Service  became  assistant  to  Dr.  Erich,  professor  of  gynecology  in 
the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  Baltimore,  and  also  lec- 
turer on  dermatology.  Appointments  followed  quickly;  the  pro- 
fessorship of  obstetrics,  of  therapeutics  and  mental  diseases;  the 
superintendency  of  Spring  Grove  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  and 
later  the  superintendency  of  the  Springfield  State  Hospital  which 
he  organized  at  Sykesville,  Md. 

For  a  year  prior  to  his  death  he  had  symptoms  of  cardiac  trouble 
and  his  death  came  suddenly  on  February  6,  1899,  while  he  was 
attending  the  National  Prison  Congress  at  New  Orleans. 

He  contributed  largely  to  dermatology,  but  his  work  culminated 
in  the  field  of  psychiatry,  when  he  began  the  work  of  planning  a 
hospital  for  mental  diseases  upon  the  most  advanced  ideas. 

Dr.  Robe's  contributions  to  medical  literature  were  numerous 
and  useful.  The  most  important  were  his  "  Textbook  of  Hy- 
giene," first  edition,  1885,  third  edition,  1894;  "  Practical  Manual 
of  Skin  Diseases,"  1885-1886,  and  (with  Lord)  1892  ;  "  Electricity 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  489 

in  Practical  Medicine  and  Surgery"  (joint  author  with  Liebig), 
1890.  He  was  associate  editor  of  the  Independent  Practitioner. 
1882,  and  of  the  Annual  of  Universal  Medical  Science,  1890,  and 
editor  of  the  Medical  Chronical  1882-1885.  Among  other  offices, 
he  was  president  of  the  American  Association  of  Obstetricians  and 
Gynecologists,  1893-1894;  president  of  the  Medical  and  Chirurgi- 
cal  Faculty  of  Maryland,  1893-1894;  president  of  the  American 
PubHc  Health  Association,  1898- 1899.  The  honorary  degree  of 
A.  M.  was  conferred  upon  him  by  Loyola  College,  Baltimore. 

Dr.  Rohe  possessed  a  phenomenal  memory,  accompanied  by 
great  readiness  in  applying  his  knowledge.  He  was  an  industrious 
reader  and  had  acquired  a  knowledge  of  several  languages. 

DR.  EDWARD  C.  RUNGE. 

Dr.  Edward  C.  Runge  was  born  in  St.  Petersburg,  Russia,  in 
1856,  and  died  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  of  acute  pneumonia,  February 
10,  1904.  His  parents,  who  were  both  German,  carefully  looked 
after  his  early  education,  which  was  acquired  in  various  schools 
in  his  native  city.  His  familiarity  with  the  classics  as  well  as  with 
modern  languages,  higher  mathematics  and  elementary  sciences, 
was  well  known  to  his  intimate  acquaintances. 

It  was  his  intention  to  study  medicine  at  the  close  of  a  college 
course.  The  death  of  his  father,  however,  made  it  necessary  for 
him  to  leave  school  at  the  age  of  18,  in  order  to  assist  in  the  main- 
tenance of  the  family.  After  several  years  he  came  to  America, 
and  to  St.  Louis  in  1883.  He  began  the  study  of  medicine  in 
1888  at  the  St.  Louis  Medical  College,  and  graduated  in  1891. 
He  found  the  struggle  of  completing  his  medical  course  without 
financial  assistance  a  hard  one  ;  but  he  was  courageous  and  patient 
and  satisfied  only  when  he  had  attained  the  highest  standards. 
His  excellent  qualities  and  personal  accomplishments  gained  many 
friends  in  the  city  of  his  adoption,  and  he  was  highly  esteemed 
by  the  members  of  the  medical  faculty.  During  his  senior  year  he 
was  instructor  in  physiological  chemistry,  and  a  year  after  his 
graduation  continued  the  same  work  for  a  period  of  four  years. 
At  the  same  time  he  was  assistant  in  the  neurological  clinic  at  the 
St.  Louis  Medical  College.  During  this  period  he  wrote  an  at- 
tractive paper  on  "  Merycism."     The  amount  of  original  work 


490  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

shown  in  this  paper  astonished  those  who  knew  that  he  had  no 
assistance  in  its  preparation.  He  was  familiar  with  the  chemic 
problems  involved,  however,  and  in  its  preparation  he  read  every- 
thing that  he  could  get  his  hands  on,  sending  to  Washington  and 
elsewhere  for  many  volumes.  A  paper  on  "  Syringomyelia  "  a 
year  or  so  later  was  prepared  in  the  same  thorough  and  brilliant 
manner,  and  at  the  time  it  appeared  was  a  valuable  contribution  to 
the  subject.  These  two  earlier  communications  are  mentioned  par- 
ticularly because  they  illustrate  how  at  the  beginning  of  his  med- 
ical career  he  employed  the  same  thorough  methods  of  work  that 
later  became  well  known  to  the  members  of  this  association. 

For  a  period  of  about  four  years  Dr.  Runge  was  in  private 
practice  in  St.  Louis.  In  1902  he  married  Miss  Emily  Foote  of 
St.  Louis,  who  survives  him. 

His  institutional  work  began  in  1895,  when  he  was  appointed 
superintendent  of  the  St.  Louis  Insane  Asylum,  which  office  he 
held  for  nine  years.  He  instituted  many  improved  methods  in  the 
institution.  Political  interference  compelled  his  resignation  at 
a  time  when  he  was  most  useful.  He  died  suddenly  of  pneumonia 
a  few  days  after  he  left  the  asylum. 

DR.  IRA  RUSSELL. 

Ira  Russell,  M.  D.,  was  born  at  Rindge,  N.  H.,  in  1814,  and 
died  at  Winchendon,  Mass.,  December  19,  1888.  He  was  of  Eng-. 
lish  and  Huguenot  descent,  and  attained  a  college  and  professional 
education  by  his  own  exertions.  He  practiced  medicine  at  Winch- 
endon and  Natick,  Mass.,  until  the  outbreak  of  the  war.  He  was 
then  47  years  of  age. 

In  1861  he  was  commissioned  surgeon  of  the  nth  Massachusetts 
Volunteers,  and  in  April,  1862,  was  made  brigade  surgeon  of  Gen- 
eral Cover's  command  at  Yorktown.  In  the  same  year  he  organ- 
ized the  Jarvis  Hospital  in  the  Stewart  Mansion  in  Baltimore, 
and  later  was  ordered  to  St.  Louis  to  organize  the  Lawson  Hos- 
pital, but  was  soon  after  appointed  medical  director  of  North- 
western Arkansas,  where  he  had  charge  of  all  the  wounded  from 
the  battle  of  Fayetteville,  earning  great  credit  for  his  medical 
history  of  that  event. 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  49I 

Early  in  1863  he  returned  to  St.  Louis,  and  under  his  charge 
the  Benton  Barracks  Hospital  became  one  of  the  largest  hospitals 
in  the  West.  Later  he  was  upon  the  staff  of  General  Thomas,  and 
organized  the  Wilson  Hospital  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  of  which  he 
remained  in  charge  to  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  made  brevet 
Lieutenant-Colonel  in  June,  1865  ;  and  resigning  from  the  service, 
he  was  engaged  in  preparing  the  "  Medical  and  Sanitary  History 
of  the  War  "  by  the  U.  S.  Sanitary  Commission. 

In  1867  he  returned  to  his  professional  labors  at  Winchendon, 
where,  about  the  year  1875,  he  opened  a  private  asylum  for  the 
treatment  of  nervous  and  mental  diseases,  and  successfully  estab- 
lished it  upon  a  permanent  basis.  He  diligently  continued  his 
labors  in  this  and  other  professional  work  until  his  last  illness, 
dying  from  pneumonia  at  the  age  of  74  years.  In  addition  to 
his  membership  in  the  Association  of  American  Superintendents, 
he  was  also  a  member  of  state  and  national  medical  societies,  and 
contributed  to  the  literature  of  his  special  professional  work. 

He  was  one  of  the  professional  men  who,  already  in  middle  life, 
carried  into  the  service  of  his  country  that  preparation  which 
practical  experience  had  given  him  and  made  him  invaluable  to 
her  armies.  That  his  duty  was  well  done  is  told  in  the  brief 
enumeration  of  the  important  hospital  commands  which  he  held. 

The  record  shows  that  he  bore  the  test  of  quality  in  his  work, 
under  responsibilities  he  would  not  have  been  permitted  to  carry 
without  merit.  His  life  was  one  of  vigorous  and  honorable 
activity  and  usefulness  to  the  end,  and  well  spent  beyond  the 
allotted  years. 

DR.  BIGELOW  T.  SANBORN. 

Dr.  Bigelow  T.  Sanborn,  superintendent  of  the  Maine  Insane 
Hospital,  at  Augusta,  died  April  18,  1910,  from  cerebral  hemor- 
rhage. 

He  was  born  in  Standish,  York  County,  Ale.,  July  1 1,  1839.  He 
came  from  a  family  which  represented  the  best  New  England 
traditions  of  the  Colonial  period.  His  preliminary  education  was 
obtained  at  the  Limington  Academy.  In  1866  he  graduated  with 
honors  from  the  Medical  School  of  Bowdoin  College  and  was 
appointed  the  same  year  an  assistant  physician  at  the  Maine  State 
Hospital,  where  he  remained  in  continuous  service  44  years. 


492  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF    THE    INSANE 

In  the  early  part  of  his  long  service  he  was  fortunate  in  serving" 
under  Dr.  H.  M.  Harlow,  for  whom  he  felt  the  highest  respect 
and  affection  and  to  whom  he  never  ceased  to  pay  loyal  tribute. 
In  1882,  upon  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Harlow,  he  was  appointed 
superintendent  of  the  hospital.  It  is  doubtful  if,  during  such  a 
long  service,  many  men  in  similar  work  have  been  so  congenially 
situated.  The  great  majority  of  his  patients  were  member  of 
families  whom  he  had  known  from  boyhood.  His  interest  in  his 
duties,  personal  regard  for  the  welfare  of  his  patients  and  con- 
sideration for  the  employees  of  the  hospital  were  repaid  by  uni- 
versal confidence  and  respect  throughout  the  state,  by  peculiarly 
tender  relations  between  his  patients  and  himself,  and  by  the 
gratitude  and  affection  of  a  long  list  of  subordinates. 

His  personality  fully  merited  the  generous  consideration  ac- 
corded him  by  the  people  of  Maine.  Kindly,  sympathetic  and  of 
unimpeachable  integrity  and  character,  with  a  keen  sense  of  humor 
and  fondness  for  his  fellow  men,  his  memory  deserved  the  resolu- 
tions adopted  by  the  Board  of  Trustees  after  his  death : 

The  decease  of  Dr.  Bigelow  T.  Sanborn  removes  one  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished and  beloved  citizens  of  Maine  and  his  unexpected  death  causes 
sorrow  in  every  section  of  the  state.  His  intelligence,  general  ability  and 
warmth  of  heart,  of  which  there  is  so  much  evidence  in  the  records  of  our 
state,  have  exerted  such  an  influence  that  his  name  can  never  be  forgotten. 
Such  a  character  naturally  found  its  expression  in  an  important  and  in- 
fluential life,  and  its  loss  is  a  source  of  sorrow  to  the  State  of  Maine. 

Aside  from  his  official  duties.  Dr.  Sanborn  was  actively  inter- 
ested in  the  social  and  charitable  work  of  Augusta,  and  his 
services  in  medical  consultations  and  medico-legal  work  were  in 
frequent  requisition  until  the  end.  In  this  latter  work  bench  and 
bar  alike  had  such  confidence  in  his  judgment  and  integrity  that 
his  opinions  were  rarely  questioned. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Medical  Club  of  Augusta,  the  Ken- 
nebec Medical  Society,  the  Maine  Medical  Association,  the  New 
England  Society  of  Psychiatry,  and  the  American  Medico-Psy- 
chological Association.  At  the  meetings  of  these  bodies  he  was  a 
regular  attendant  and  frequent  contributor  of  medical  papers. 

For  some  time  prior  to  death  he  had  recognized  the  symptoms 
of  cerebral  arterio-sclerosis  in  himself  and  had  calmly  discussed 
his  uncertain  lease  of  life. 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  493 

DR.  JOHN  WOODBURY  SAWYER. 

Dr.  Sawyer  was  born  November  5,  1834,  in  Danvers,  Mass., 
and  received  his  medical  degree  from  Harvard  University  in 
1859.  He  was  appointed  an  assistant  physician  at  Butler  Hospital, 
Providence,  R.  I.,  by  Dr.  Isaac  Ray,  then  superintendent,  and 
served  two  years,  but  resigned  to  enter  private  practice  in  Boston, 
where  he  remained  but  a  single  year  and  was  appointed  first 
assistant  physician  in  the  State  Hospital  at  Madison,  Wis.  He 
remained  in  this  position  for  six  years,  when  he  was  chosen  to 
succeed  Dr.  Isaac  Ray  at  the  time  when  the  latter  resigned  the 
superintendency  of  Butler  Hospital.  It  was  generally  understood 
by  his  friends  that  he  had  been  recommended  for  the  position  by 
no  less  worthy  persons  than  Miss  Dix  and  Dr.  Ray.  He  entered 
upon  his  new  duties  in  January,  1867.  During  the  following  19 
years  he  discharged  the  duties  of  his  position  with  assiduity,  rare 
wisdom  and  success. 

His  manners  were  gentle  and  winning;  his  character  was 
marked  by  singular  modesty,  united  with  great  firmness  of  pur- 
pose, rare  good  judgment,  manly  independence,  self-denying  be- 
nevolence and  unfailing  devotion  to  the  duties  he  was  called  to 
perform.  He  wrote  and  published  little.  His  whole  energies 
seemed  absorbed  in  the  care  of  his  institution. 

He  died  suddenly  after  a  brief  illness  upon  December  14,  1885, 
in  consequence  of  an  injury  to  his  throat  by  a  maniacal  patient 
whom  he  had  visited  in  consultation  with  a  physician  at  Newport. 
He  was  married  and  left  a  widow  and  one  son. 

DR.  SOLOMON  S.  SCHULTZ. 

Solomon  S.  Schultz  was  born  in  Washington  Township,  Berks 
County,  Pa.,  July  5,  1831,  near  the  region  in  which  his  ancestor, 
Christopher  Schultz,  had  settled  in  1734,  after  he  had  been  driven 
by  religious  persecution  from  the  Province  of  Silesia,  then  in  the 
Kingdom  of  Prussia.  He  graduated  from  Princeton  College  in 
1852,  and  in  1855  received  the  degree  of  A.  M.  He  taught  school 
for  a  short  time,  and  later  commenced  the  study  of  medicine  with 
Dr.  D.  D.  Detwiler,  of  Montgomery  County,  Pa.  In  1856  he 
graduated  from  the  Medical  Department  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  opened  an  office  in  Allentown,  Pa.    In  1857  he 


494  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE  OF   THE   INSANE 

was  appointed  assistant  physician  of  the  Pennsylvania  State  Luna- 
tic Hospital  at  Harrisburg,  and  discharged  the  duties  of  that  office 
with  exemplary  fidelity  until  1862,  when  he  became  assistant  sur- 
geon in  the  U.  S.  Army.  He  had  made  meantime  a  trip  to  Europe 
and  had  spent  several  months  in  visiting  hospitals  for  the  insane 
and  places  of  interest  upon  the  Continent.  The  Civil  War  broke 
out  during  this  trip  and  the  first  news  of  it  came  as  he  was 
ascending  Mount  Blanc  in  company  with  some  English  tourists. 
The  party  had  begun  the  ascent  of  the  mountain  and  had  spent 
the  night  at  the  Grand  Mulcts,  when  another  party  of  travelers 
coming  up  in  the  morning  announced  the  commencement  of  the 
American  war.  Dr.  Schultz  continued  upward  and  accomplished 
what  very  few  Americans  could  then  boast  of,  the  ascent  of  Mount 
Blanc.  He  hastened  home  and,  entering  the  army  as  acting  assist- 
ant surgeon,  was  subsequently  promoted  to  be  assistant  surgeon 
and  surgeon  of  Pennsylvania  Volunteers  and  assistant  surgeon 
and  surgeon  of  U.  S.  Volunteers,  and  remained  in  constant  service 
in  hospitals  and  in  the  field  until  the  end  of  the  war.  He  was 
attached  successively  to  the  75th  and  23d  Regiments  of  Pennsyl- 
vania Volunteers. 

He  was  surgeon  in  charge  and  executive  officer  successively  of 
the  general  hospitals  at  Harrisburg,  Pa. ;  Covington,  Ky. ;  Madi- 
son, Ind.,  and  Columbus,  Ohio,  being  also  in  the  latter  place  super- 
intendent of  the  hospital. 

In  1865  he  resigned  his  commission  in  the  army  and  commenced 
the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Harrisburg,  when  in  August, 
1868,  he  was  elected  superintendent  by  the  commissioners  for 
the  erection  of  the  hospital  for  the  insane  at  Danville.  He  entered 
on  his  duties  with  characteristic  earnestness  and  fidelity,  giving 
devoted  attention  to  all  matters  connected  with  the  construction 
of  that  institution,  and  urged  forward  the  work  in  spite  of  delayed 
appropriations,  so  that  part  of  the  building  was  ready  for  occu- 
pancy in  1872,  when  the  first  patients  were  admitted.  He  con- 
ducted the  complicated  matters  of  that  hospital  in  its  construction 
and  management  with  singular  fidelity,  thoughtfulness  and  care  in 
regard  to  the  welfare,  comfort,  happiness  and  restoration  of  the 
patients  entrusted  to  his  care,  and  in  the  administration  of  the 
trust  in  behalf  of  the  commonwealth  and  the  communities  from 
which  patients  were  sent  to  the  hospital. 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE   UNITED   STATES  495 

He  was  a  man  of  acute  sensibilities,  and  was  greatly  annoyed 
and  distressed  by  malicious  attacks  on  his  management  of  the  hos- 
pital by  those  who  knew  little  of  his  devotion  to  his  duties  and 
earnest  efforts  to  promote  in  every  way  the  comfort  and  happi- 
ness of  his  patients. 

These  attacks,  with  the  added  mental  strain  of  conducting  a 
large  hospital  for  the  insane,  undermined  his  health.  While  pre- 
paring for  a  prolonged  rest  and  relief  from  care  in  the  hope  of 
regaining  his  health,  an  unusual  accumulation  of  troubles  de- 
pressed his  vitality  to  such  an  extent  that  he  suddenly  died  Sep- 
tember 27,  1 89 1. 

While  in  Harrisburg  he  was  one  of  the  founders  -of  the  Dauphin 
County  Medical  Society,  and  its  first  treasurer.  He  was  for  a  time 
recording  secretary  of  the  Medical  Society  of  the  State  of  Penn- 
sylvania. On  his  removal  to  Danville  he  became  a  member  of 
the  Mentor  County  Medical  Society.  He  was  an  earnest  and 
faithful  member  of  the  American  Medico-Psychological  Associa- 
tion. 

"  As  a  truly  devout  man,  Dr.  Schultz's  character  shone  most 
brightly.  Descended  from  a  long  line  of  '  defenders  of  the  faith,' 
he  emulated  them  by  being  faithful  in  every  religious  duty  and  an 
active  churchman  all  his  life.  Wherever  he  located  he  connected 
himself  with  the  church  of  his  denomination,  and  as  aji  earnest 
and  sincere  Christian  he  ever  joined  to  further  the  church  work. 
He  was  a  leading  member  of  the  Mahoning  Presbyterian  Church 
and  one  of  its  ruling  elders,  and  as  such  often  and  ably  represented 
it  in  the  higher  ecclesiastical  bodies." 

DR.  SAMUEL  E.  SHANTZ. 

Dr.  Shantz  was  born  in  Canada,  educated  for  his  profession 
partly  at  the  University  of  Toronto  and  partly  at  Cambridge, 
Mass,  He  served  for  a  period  as  surgeon  in  the  army  during  the 
Civil  War,  and  was  afterwards  connected  with  the  New  York 
State  Lunatic  Asylum  at  Utica  as  assistant  physician.  Here  he 
won  the  warm  regard  of  his  fellow  officers  for  his  uniform 
amiability  and  gentlemanliness  of  manner,  and  his  evenly  balanced 
character  and  attainments.  He  left  Utica  to  become  the  superin- 
tendent of  the  Minnesota  State  Hospital  for  the  Insane.     For  a 


496  IXSTITUTIOXAL    CARE   OF    THE   IX5AXE 

short  time  previous  to  his  professional  engagement  in  this  country 
he  had  the  great  advantage  of  professional  service  under  the 
eminent  Dr.  Joseph  Workman,  of  Toronto. 

He  discharged  his  difficult  and  responsible  office  with  great  suc- 
cess. Of  a  cultivated  mind,  a  kind  heart  and  gentle  manners,  he 
attracted  the  regard  of  all  he  met.     To  these  qualities  he  added 

a  religious  spirit  and  a  warm  attachment  to  the  church  in  whose 
faith  and  communion  he  died. 

He  had  married  only  about  three  months  previous  to  his  death. 
His  life  was  gentle  and  pure,  and  his  end  was  peace. 

He  died  of  t}-phoid  fever  at  St.  Peter,  ]\Iinn.,  August  22,  1868. 

DR,  JOHN  CARGYLL  SHAW. 

John  CargA'll  Shaw  was  born  September  25,  1845,  at  St.  Ann's 
Bay,  Jamaica.  After  receiving  instruction  in  the  local  schools 
he  came  to  the  United  States  with  his  mother  and  sister  at  the 
age  of  17.  He  first  found  employment  with  a  wholesale  druggist 
in  Xew  York,  and  attended  lectures  on  chemistry  and  later 
studied  medicine  under  Dr.  George  K.  Smith.  In  1874  he  took 
the  degree  of  M.  D.  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons. 
He  showed  great  interest  in  the  histology  and  patholog}'  of  the 
nervous  system  in  the  laborator}-  of  Dr.  Satterthwaite  and  Prof. 
Seguin  and  became  clinical  assistant  to  the  latter  at  the  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons. 

He  was  appointed  neurologist  at  St.  Peter's  Hospital,  Brooklyn, 
and  filled  the  position  of  medical  superintendent  of  the  Lunatic 
Asylum  of  Kings  County,  where  he  instituted  and  carried  out 
many  needed  and  praiseworthy  reforms.  He  was  appointed  lec- 
turer on  diseases  of  the  nerv^ous  system  at  the  Long  Island  Col- 
lege Hospital,  and  advanced  to  the  position  of  clinical  professor  of 
diseases  of  the  mind  and  the  nerv'ous  system,  increasing  his  reputa- 
tion in  the  field  of  clinical  instruction.  Twice  president  of  the  New 
York  Neurological  Society,  he  was  also  elected  president  in  1893  of 
the  [Medical  Societ}-  of  the  County  of  Kings  and  consulting  physi- 
cian to  the  State  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  and 
occupied  the  position  of  neurologist  in  St.  Peter's  Hospital,  the 
Long  Island  College  Hospital,  the  Brooklyn  Hospital,  St.  Cath- 
arine Hospital,  the  Long  Island  Throat  Hospital,  the  Brooklyn 
Eye  and  Ear  Hospital,  and  the  Kings  County  Hospital. 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE   UNITED   STATES  49/ 

He  held  membership  in  the  New  York  Neurological  Society,  the 
Brooklyn  Pathological  Society,  the  American  Neurological  So- 
ciety, the  Medical  Society  of  the  County  of  Kings,  the  Neuro- 
logical Society  of  Brooklyn,  the  Medical  Society  of  the  State  of 
New  York  and  the  Brooklyn  Anatomical  and  Surgical  Society. 

Dr.  Shaw  contributed  many  valuable  papers  on  subjects  relating 
to  the  nervous  system,  to  medical  societies  and  medical  journals. 
The  following  may  be  mentioned :  "  Muscular  Atrophies  in  Loco- 
motor Ataxia  "  ;  "  Hemiplegia  in  Children  "  ;  "  Progressive  Mus- 
cular Atrophy  and  its  Pathology  " ;  "  Anomalous  Cases  of  Loco- 
motor Ataxia  "  ;  "  General  Paralysis  of  the  Insane  " ;  "  The  Prac- 
ticability and  Value  of  Non-Restraint  Treatment  of  the  Insane  " ; 
"  Raynaud's  Disease,"  etc.  He  contributed  to  International  Clin- 
ics and  for  a  time  was  an  associate  editor  of  the  American  Medical 
Digest,  and  he  wrote  "  Essentials  of  Nervous  Diseases  and  In- 
sanity." 

He  died  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  January  23,  1900. 

MOSES  SHEPPARD.' 

Moses  Sheppard,  the  founder  of  the  Sheppard  Asylum,  now 
known  as  the  Sheppard  and  Enoch  Pratt  Hospital,  according  to 
a  sketch  in  the  American  Journal  of  Insanity  by  J.  S.  Norris,  "  was 
born  about  six  months  before  the  destruction  of  tea  in  the  Boston 
harbor,"  that  is,  in  1773,  but  according  to  Kirk  Brown,  a  life-long 
student  of  the  genealogy  of  the  Religious  Society  of  Friends,  from 
the  records  of  the  Gwynedd,  Montgomery  Co.,  Pa.,  Friends'  Meet- 
ing, he  was  born  in  Montgomery  County,  Pa.,  on  May  16,  1775.  He 
had  said  that  his  "  earliest  recollection  of  himself  was  on  an 
earthen  floor  in  a  log  cabin  near  Baltimore,"  according  to  Mr. 
Norris.  He  was  the  son  of  Nathan  Sheppard,  a  native  of  Cumber- 
land County,  N.  J.,  and  Sarah  Shoemaker,  who  were  married  at 
Abbington  Friends'  Meeting  House,  Montgomery  County,  Pa., 
March  31,  1755.  Nathan  Sheppard,  owing  to  his  conscientious 
scruples  about  war,  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolution  left  Pennsyl- 
vania and  sought  refuge  in  Nova  Scotia,  and  his  lands  and  pos- 
sessions were  probably  lost  to  him  by  confiscation  or  abandon- 
ment. 

*  By  Dr.  E.  N.  Brush,  Towson,  Md. 


498  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

Little  is  known  of  the  early  life  of  Moses  Sheppard  beyond  cer- 
tain characteristic  references  to  it  in  letters  written  to  friends  in 
his  later  years.  In  one  of  these  he  says :  "  I  have  no  local  attach- 
ments from  early  recollections.  Hurried  from  place  to  place, 
always  in  penury  and  sometimes  in  want,  these  places  of  rny 
transient  sojourn  are  either  forgotten  or  remembered  with  pain: 
hence  I  have  no  fond  predilection  for  any  favorite  spot  that  gave 
me  birth.  Thrown  on  the  world,  I  soon  perceived  that  I  was  born 
the  heir  to  nothing  but  its  trials  and  labors.  Those  with  whom  I 
was  connected  by  affinity  of  blood  were  distant  and  generally  un- 
known to  me:  placed  among  strangers,  strangers  became  my 
relations:  my  relations  were  strangers."  In  a  letter  written  to 
Benjamin  Hallowell  of  Alexandria,  Va.,  in  1847,  ^^  reply  to  an 
inquiry  whether  he  had  ever  kept  school,  he  writes :  "  Did  I  ever 
keep  school?  No,  never,  and  what  is  worse  I  never  went  to 
school."  The  education  which  he  gained  for  himself,  while  not 
that  of  the  schools,  was  in  many  respects  an  excellent  one  if  it  is 
measured  by  his  knowledge  of  men  and  affairs  and  his  insight 
into  questions  of  the  day  as  shown  in  his  letters  and  memoranda. 
Books  he  read  with  a  discriminating  taste,  and  his  comments  upon 
them,  especially  upon  those  containing  theological  questions, 
evince  a  refreshing  independence  of  thought  and  belief.  No  sub- 
ject appears  to  have  been  considered  unworthy  of  his  notice,  and 
his  frequent  applications  for  information  to  numerous  corre- 
spondents and  his  inquiries  as  to  books  containing  such  informa- 
tion exhibit  an  eager  search  for  knowledge,  a  search  which  did 
not  slacken  even  when  he  had  long  passed  the  age  of  three  score 
years  and  ten. 

He  was  employed  for  a  time  in  the  general  store  of  Jesse  Tyson 
at  Jerico  Mills,  on  the  Gunpowder  River  near  Baltimore,  where  his 
mother  went  to  reside  with  her  children,  Thomas,  Ann  and  Moses, 
in  1792.  In  1793  he  was  employed  in  a  grocery  and  provision 
business  in  Baltimore,  conducted  by  John  Mitchell,  and  becoming 
a  partner  in  the  following  year,  remained  associated  with  him  for 
22  years.  Upon  the  dissolution  of  the  partnership  of  Mitchell  and 
Sheppard  he  continued  in  business  until  1824,  when  he  retired  with 
a  modest  fortune.  In  1842  he  was  elected  a  director  of  the  Balti- 
more and  Ohio  Railroad  Company,  but  declined  the  position.  He 
was  again  elected  in  1849  ^"^  served.    In  October,  1849,  he  wrote : 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  499 

"  I  invented  a  method  of  applying  steam  to  the  brake  (for  con- 
troUing  railway  trains)  which  was  approved  and  we  were  pre- 
paring to  try  it  when  news  came  from  Scotland  that  the  same 
thing  was  in  course  of  experiment  there." 

About  1830  he  became  interested  in  African  colonization,  and  in 
money,  clothing,  seeds,  tools,  books,  etc.,  contributed  to  this  cause 
several  thousand  dollars.  Whatever  illusions  he  entertained  as  to 
the  possibility  of  establishing  in  Liberia  a  self-respecting,  self-sup- 
porting colony  of  former  slaves  were  eventually  dispelled  after  the 
lapse  of  some  years  by  the  worthlessness  and  inefficiency  of  the 
colored  colonists.  The  following  letter  will  serve  as  an  example 
of  much  of  his  correspondence  with  such  colonists.  Under  date 
of  i6th  October,  1833,  he  wrote  from  Baltimore  to  one  Susan 
Hynson  in  Liberia,  as  follows :  "  I  wrote  you  on  the  19th  June, 
received  your  letter  of  24th  February  last  on  the  loth  of  July. 
You  mention  and  complain  of  the  high  price  of  flour  and  other 
American  provisions;  you  have  nothing  to  do  with  flour  or  any 
other  article  from  America ;  if  you  cannot  live  on  the  productions 
of  the  country  you  had  better  leave  it.  I  am  dissatisfied  with  the 
whole  tenor  of  your  letters,  the  burden  of  them  is  provisions  and 
fashions  from  here.  There  is  one  fashion  which  I  fear  you  have 
never  thought  of ;  I  mean  the  fashion  of  working;  if  you  will  adopt 
that  fashion  you  will  soon  have  plenty  of  good  provisions  without 
sending  here  for  them.  You  say  '  I  hope  you  will  send  me  a  box 
of  candles.'  In  answer  to  this  I  say  I  hope  you  will  get  a  gallon 
of  palm  oil  and  burn  it  in  a  lamp.  I  can  gather  nothing  from  your 
letters  to  your  mother  or  to  me  that  indicates  industry  or  useful- 
ness. I  believe  you  have  set  up  for  a  lady,  and  I  must  assure  you 
I  will  not  work  in  America  for  a  lazy  negro  lady  in  Africa."  The 
indifference  and  shiftlessness  of  a  large  proportion  of  those  sent 
to  the  Colony,  the  disposition  to  depend  upon  their  white  friends 
for  support,  and  their  frequent  manifestations  of  gross  ingrati- 
tude, in  time,  as  suggested  above,  had  their  effect,  and  the  plans 
which  tradition  informs  us  Moses  Sheppard  had  made  for  the 
benefit  of  Liberia  and  its  people  were  replaced  by  others. 

During  much  of  his  later  life  he  maintained  pupils  in  private 
schools  by  sending  funds  to  support  them,  and  usually  added  that 
he  wanted  no  account,  and  in  one  case,  that  of  a  young  woman, 

39 


500  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE    INSAJSTE 

"  I  don't  want  to  know  her  name."  In  making  a  liberal  gift  to 
a  female  orphan  school  he  annexed  the  single  request  that  nothing 
should  be  printed  or  published  about  it. 

Self-taught  as  he  was,  he  evidently  read  much  of  history  and 
biography,  from  the  manner  in  which  he  discussed  questions  of 
public  policy,  especially  as  bearing  upon  the  question  of  slavery 
and  from  his  numerous  references  and  quotations.  In  scientific 
matters  he  took  great  interest.  Among  other  books  he  imported 
Dalton's  "  New  Theory  of  Chemical  Philosophy,"  containing  the 
atomic  theory,  and  apparently  grasped  Dalton's  ideas  in  some 
measure.  He  also  studied  ethnology,  being  attracted  to  it  by  his 
interest  in  education  and  philanthropy.  In  1854  he  gave  utter- 
ance to  a  crude  conception  of  the  doctrine  of  evolution  and  sug- 
gested that  man's  development  from  lower  orders  might  be  only 
a  step  in  the  upward  progress  of  the  race,  which  might  become 
eventually  a  still  higher  and  more  perfect  race  of  beings  in  the 
order  of  things.  About  two  weeks  before  his  death,  after  months 
of  confinement  to  his  bed,  he  asked  for  pen  and  paper  to  test  his 
ability  to  write.  After  ruling  three  distinct  lines,  because  he 
could  not  distinguish  the  fainter  lines  on  the  sheet,  he  wrote 
these  words:  ''The  law  of  progression  is  probably  a  law  of 
nature,  of  slow  development."  He  then  dropped  the  pen  with 
the  remark :  "  I  could  add  more  but  it  is  too  late."  In  Morse's 
telegraph  he  took  a  lively  interest  and  confidently  predicted  a  still 
more  wonderful  development  of  electricity  in  the  transmission  of 
human  thought.  To  Benjamin  Hallowell  of  Virginia,  already 
referred  to,  he  repeatedly  wrote  to  urge  him  to  study  the  applica- 
tion of  electricity  to  the  refining  of  copper — an  appHcation  now  in 
very  successful  use;  and  the  harnessing  of  the  "  thunder-bolt  "  to 
machinery.  He  had  decided  views  upon  education,  which  he 
appreciated  highly  because  he  himself  had  been  denied  it.  He 
regarded  it,  however,  as  only  a  means  to  advance  the  interests 
of  mankind  and  to  uplift  those  upon  whom  it  was  bestowed. 
Often  in  his  letters  to  Liberian  colonists  he  cautioned  those  who 
had  been  fortunate  enough  to  obtain  an  education  not  to  be 
unduly  proud  of  it  and  against  the  fallacy  that  because  they  were 
better  educated  than  some  of  their  fellows  they  were  not  to  work 
as  hard.  For  the  lazy  and  indifferent  he  had  no  patience  and 
pointed  out  their  faults  with  a  caustic  pen.    Those  who  by  reason 


MOSES   SHEPPARD. 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE   UNITED   STATES  5OI 

of  their  good  "  words  and  works  "  claimed  the  aid  and  support 
of  others  did  not  gain  his  sympathy  or  escape  his  comment.  The 
following  letter  written  in  1853  to  Thomas  Mitchell  is  a  good 
illustration  of  his  point  of  view :  "  In  thy  letter  thee  asks  what 
thee  can  do  in  return  for  some  trifles  I  furnished  thee  with.  I 
answer  nothing,  don't  send  me  anything.  Thee  remarks  that  thee 
is  employed  in  providing  for  the  wants  of  thy  family;  thee  could 
not  be  more  usefully  or  honorably,  and  I  will  add  more  religiously, 
employed.  Some  Quaker  preachers  travel,  preaching  denuncia- 
tion against  a  hireling  ministry,  and  leave  their  families  at  home 
to  be  provided  for  by  others." 

What  attracted  Moses  Sheppard's  attention  to  the  care  of  the 
insane  is  not  known.  In  a  letter  to  Dr.  Shoemaker,  of  Philadel- 
phia, dated  19,  3d  mo.,  1853,  he  says :  "  My  attention  has  long 
been  directed  to  the  care  of  the  insane ;  and  I  expect  what  I  may 
leave  will  take  that  direction  and  not  to  individuals."  The  charter 
for  the  Sheppard  Asylum  was  obtained  from  the  Maryland  Legis- 
lature in  May  of  the  same  year.  In  November,  1844,  in  a  letter 
to  Dr.  McGill,  he  says :  "  I  have  always  believed  it  to  be  my  duty 
to  feel  for  human  suffering  and  to  mitigate  it  if  I  could  without 
reference  to  the  cause,"  and  this  seems  to  have  been  the  principal 
motive  in  his  m.ind  in  founding  the  Sheppard  Asylum.  His  letters 
throw  little  light  upon  the  history  of  the  foundation  of  the  institu- 
tion, but  they  all  agree  in  one  thing,  that  he  did  not  seek  notoriety 
or  even  notice  in  what  he  did.  He  thought  at  first  that  he  could 
accomplish  his  purpose  by  an  ordinary  will,  but  being  persuaded 
to  the  contrary  by  his  friend,  the  late  David  M.  Ferine,  he  procured 
a  charter  for  "  The  Trustees  of  the  Sheppard  Asylum,"  permitting 
the  use  of  the  word  "  Sheppard  "  with  reluctance.  As  soon  as  his 
act  became  public  his  troubles  began.  Many  persons  wrote  to 
request  donations  from  him  of  sums  varying  from  a  few  dollars 
to  thousands,  for  personal  benefit  or  otherwise.  He  was  even 
approached  by  a  young  woman  of  17  years  of  age,  who  besought 
his  hand  in  marriage.  All  this  publicity  annoyed  him  exceedingly. 
In  a  letter  to  Mr.  John  Bigelow  of  New  York  in  June,  1853,  he 
says :  "  The  whole  subject  of  a  hospital  is  but  in  the  incipient 
state.  My  intention  was  and  is  experimental,  a  small  but  expen- 
sive establishment.  All  of  the  notoriety  has  been  produced  by 
letter  writers  and  scribblers  of  newspaper  paragraphs — it  is  morti- 


502  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

fying.  I  want  no  such  chronicles  of  '  mine  Hving  honor.'  I 
thought  I  could  proceed  unnoticed  without  a  law,  but  I  was 
advised  not  to  do  so.  I  am  not  pleased  with  the  course  the  affair 
has  taken." 

Moses  Sheppard  was  a  life-long  member  of  the  Society  of 
Friends.  He  died  February  i,  1857,  from  the  infirmities  of  age. 
In  due  time  his  whole  estate,  as  narrated  elsewhere,^  passed  under 
his  will  to  his  trustees. 

DR.  ABRAM  MARVIN  SHEW. 

Abram  Marvin  Shew,  M.  D.,  was  born  September  18,  1841,  at 
Le  Roy,  Jefferson  County,  N.  Y.,  and  was  the  youngest  of  a 
family  of  11  children.  When  11  years  of  age  he  removed  with 
his  parents  to  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  where  he  received  his  education 
at  the  Jefferson  County  Institute.  It  was  his  intention  to  enter 
college  at  Schenectady,  but  he  was  prevented  from  doing  so  by 
the  outbreak  of  the  war  in  1861.  Having  decided  upon  his  pro- 
fession, he  entered  upon  the  study  of  medicine  at  the  Jefferson 
Medical  College  in  Philadelphia  as  one  of  the  pupils  of  Prof. 
W.  H.  Pancoast.  During  his  course  of  study  his  attention  was 
called  to  the  subject  of  insanity,  and  he  spent  some  time  as  an 
assistant  at  the  New  York  Asylum  for  Insane  Criminals  at 
Auburn.  Immediately  after  his  graduation  he  passed  an  examina- 
tion as  an  assistant  surgeon  of  volunteers,  and  was  assigned  to 
duty  at  Hilton  Head,  S.  C,  as  post  surgeon ;  he  remained  in  this 
position  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

Upon  his  return  to  Philadelphia  he  was  appointed  one  of  the 
resident  physicians  of  Blockley  Hospital,  and  finding  his  interest 
in  the  subject  of  insanity  reawakened,  he  decided  to  make  it  the 
specialty  of  his  professional  life. 

In  the  spring  of  1866  he  was  appointed  an  assistant  in  the  State 
Lunatic  Asylum  at  Trenton,  N.  J.,  and  in  the  autumn  of  the  same 
year  was  chosen  superintendent  of  the  Connecticut  Hospital  for 
the  Insane  at  Middletown,  which  position  he  held  to  the  close  of 
his  life. 

His  death  resulted  from  the  effects  of  an  injury  which  he  had 
received  some  two  months  before.  In  the  act  of  coming  down 
from  the  second  floor  of  the  hospital  with  a  large  book  in  which 

^  See  Vol.  II,  page  560. 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  503 

he  kept  the  records  of  the  proceedings  of  the  directors  of  the 
hospital  at  the  monthly  meetings,  the  heel  of  one  shoe  became 
entangled  with  the  carpet  upon  the  top  stair.  He  made  an  un- 
availing effort  to  grasp  the  stair  rail,  but  only  partially  arrested 
his  fall,  and  rolled  to  the  bottom  of  the  stairs.  He  was  much 
jarred,  but  was  entirely  conscious  and  able  to  be  removed  to  his 
house.  His  spine,  however,  was  injured,  and  the  membrane  of 
the  cord  became  irritated  and  inflamed.  The  inflammation,  which 
began  in  the  lower  portion  of  the  cord,  extended  slowly  upwards 
to  the  base  of  the  brain,  and  he  suffered  at  times  with  pain  in 
that  region.  This  pain  on  two  or  three  occasions  was  relieved 
by  a  spontaneous  hemorrhage  at  the  nose.  Towards  the  last  for  a 
week  he  was  unable  to  retain  solid  food.  He,  however,  recovered 
from  this  condition,  and  a  few  days  before  his  death  went  to  the 
hospital  to  attend  a  meeting  of  the  directors,  but  his  condition 
was  such  as  to  excite  the  alarm  of  the  board.  Two  days  after- 
wards he  retired  at  night  as  usual,  and  was  found  unconscious  in 
the  early  morning,  and  died  at  about  12  noon. 

He  had  large  executive  ability,  and  the  institution  of  which  he 
had  charge  gives  abundant  evidence  of  his  thorough  appreciation 
of  the  needs  of  the  state  in  providing  for  the  insane,  as  well  as 
of  his  skill  in  carrying  forward  such  plans  as  were  adopted. 

He  constantly  sought  to  inspire  his  patients  with  the  belief 
that  he  was  their  friend  as  well  as  their  physician,  and  his  cheer- 
ful face  and  hopeful  words,  his  constant  anticipation  of  brighter 
days  and  better  things  to  come  for  them,  together  with  the  magnet- 
ism of  his  manner  and  bearing,  caused  them  to  become  greatly 
attached  to  him  during  their  convalescence. 

The  same  qualities  of  mind  inspired  the  highest  regard  on  the 
part  of  those  associated  with  him  as  assistants  and  helpers. 

He  was  a  skillful  physician  and  a  sympathetic  and  appreciative 
friend. 

DR.  GEORGE  A.  SHURTLEFF. 

Dr.  George  A.  Shurtleff,  born  in  1820,  for  many  years  superin- 
tendent of  the  State  Insane  Asylum  of  California,  at  Stockton, 
died  in  that  city  February  11,  1902,  at  the  age  of  82  years.  He 
was  a  graduate  of  Vermont  Medical  College  at  Woodstock,  Vt., 
in   1845,  and  was   formerly  professor  of  mental  diseases  and 


504  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE    OF    THE   INSANE 

medical  jurisprudence  in  the  medical  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  California.  His  work  at  Stockton  was  a  pioneer  work, 
and  he  finally  failed  in  health  under  the  severe  mental  and  physical 
strain  incident  to  his  position  and  was  compelled  to  retire  from 
active  service  nearly  20  years  before  his  death.  He  was  a  man  of 
great  force  of  character  and  singleness  of  purpose,  which  qualities 
enabled  him  to  overcome  many  difficulties  in  providing  for  the 
insane  in  California.  He  became  the  superintendent  of  the  institu- 
tion at  Stockton  when  it  was  seriously  demoralized  by  incom- 
petency and  mismanagement,  and  by  his  patient  and  effective 
labor  improved  conditions  greatly.  He  served  as  superintendent 
from  1863  to  1884. 

DR.  T.  R.  H.  SMITH. 

Dr.  T.  R.  H.  Smith,  the  physician  and  superintendent  of  State 
Lunatic  Asylum  No.  i,  at  Fulton,  Mo.,  died  on  the  21st  of  Decem- 
ber, 1885,  in  the  66th  year  of  his  age,  from  nervous  prostration, 
after  an  illness  of  30  days.  He  was  a  native  of  Kentucky. 
After  obtaining  his  literary  and  medical  education  in  the  colleges 
of  that  state  he  removed  to  Missouri  and  commenced  the  practice 
of  medicine.  In  1855  he  was  elected  to  the  office  he  held  at  the 
close  of  his  life.  He  continued  in  the  service  of  the  state  as 
physician  and  superintendent  of  the  State  Asylimi,  except  for  a 
short  period  after  the  close  of  the  war  between  the  states,  for  30 
years.  He  was  the  oldest  superintendent,  with  one  or  two  excep- 
tions, in  the  United  States.  The  early  history  of  insane  asylums 
in  the  United  States  shows  that  they  were  subjected  to  more  com- 
plicated difficulties  in  their  administrations  than  the  institutions 
of  the  present  day.  Then  greater  ignorance  and  superstition  pre- 
vailed as  to  insanity  and  its  treatment,  and  with  the  limited  pro- 
vision which  legislatures  could  be  induced  to  make,  and  the 
doubting  and  censorious  attitude  the  public  often  manifested 
towards  them  and  their  management,  superintendents  required 
strong  elements  of  character  and  unwavering  determination  of  pur- 
pose, together  with  the  strongest  convictions  of  duty  and  a  bound- 
less sympathy  for  the  afflicted,  to  enable  them  to  succeed  in  the 
discharge  of  their  duties.  Dr.  Smith  was  pre-eminently  blessed 
with  superior  moral  and  mental  endowments.    His  high  character, 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE   UNITED   STATES  505 

exemplary  Christian  life,  his  tender,  gentle  sympathy  for  the 
afflicted,  his  intellectual  acquirements,  his  professed  love  for  the 
study  of  medicine,  chiefly  for  the  benefits  it  confers  on  suffering 
humanity,  clothed  him  with  a  wide  and  extended  influence  and 
gave  him  great  power  to  harmonize  friendly  and  adverse  elements 
in  the  interest  of  the  institution.  These  characteristics  added 
force  and  efficiency  to  his  superior  administrative  ability.  He  was 
not  influenced  by  love  of  honor,  nor  power,  nor  wealth,  but  by  a 
dominating  sense  of  duty,  the  fulfilment  of  his  mission  in  life. 
His  life  work  was  to  give  hope  to  the  despairing  and  hopeless,  and 
to  lead  wandering  intellects  out  of  oblivion  and  darkness  or  dis- 
order into  light. 

DR.  MAURICE  J.  STACK. 

Dr.  Maurice  J.  Stack,  first  assistant  physician.  Government  Hos- 
pital for  the  Insane,  died  October  17,  1909,  after  an  unusually 
severe  illness  of  about  three  weeks.  He  had  been  gradually  f  aihng 
in  health  for  some  time,  though  not  even  his  family  and  nearest 
friends  were  aware  of  the  fatal  nature  of  his  malady.  In  fact, 
it  was  not  known  until  the  severity  of  his  symptoms  compelled 
him  to  relinquish  his  work  that  for  some  years  he  had  been  suf- 
fering from  malignant  disease  of  the  tongue  and  throat,  and  that 
with  unequaled  fortitude  he  had  endured  silently  great  mental  and 
physical  pain  rather  than  cause  distress  to  his  family  and  friends. 

When  his  acute  symptoms  heralded  the  end,  he  calmly  and  phil- 
osophically accepted  the  inevitable  and  made  no  complaints. 

He  was  born  in  Stamford,  Conn.,  January  8,  1855.  He  was 
educated  in  the  parochial  school  of  St.  Aloysius  Catholic  Church, 
of  Washington,  D.  C,  and  in  Gonzaga  College,  of  Washington ; 
he  graduated  in  medicine  in  the  medical  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Georgetown  in  1876,  being  at  the  time  of  his  graduation 
about  21  years  of  age.  In  October  of  the  same  year  he  was 
appointed  junior  medical  assistant  by  Dr.  Chas.  H.  Nichols,  the 
first  superintendent  of  the  hospital.  He  served  continuously  under 
Drs.  Nichols,  Godding,  Richardson  and  White,  and  was  himself 
acting  superintendent  from  the  death  of  Dr.  Richardson  until  the 
occupancy  of  Dr.  White.  Under  Dr.  White  he  was  promoted  to 
the  position  of  first  assistant  physician,  with  duties  of  a  broadly 


5o6  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

administrative  character,  which  he  performed  efficiently  and  satis- 
factorily until  his  death,  after  a  service  to  the  hospital  of  more 
than  33  years. 

DR.  HENRY  PUTNAM  STEARNS. 

Dr.  Henry  Putnam  Stearns  was  born  at  Sutton,  Mass.,  April  i8, 
1828,  of  a  family  prominent  in  the  annals  of  Massachusetts. 

His  early  education  was  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
town.  He  prepared  for  college  at  Monson  Academy ;  matriculated 
at  Yale  College  in  1849,  ^^^  was  graduated  in  the  noted  class  of 
'53.  He  attended  medical  lectures  at  Harvard  and  Yale  universi- 
ties, and  received  the  degree  of  M.  D.  from  the  latter  in  1855. 

He  went,  in  the  summer  of  1855,  to  the  University  of  Edinburgh 
to  continue  his  medical  studies.  While  pursuing  a  post-graduate 
course  he  was  selected  as  interne  in  the  Royal  Infirmary,  where 
he  became  acquainted  with  several  men  who  were  afterwards 
eminent,  among  them  the  late  Sir  John  Sibbald.  After  a  further 
course  of  study  in  Paris,  he  returned,  at  the  end  of  two  years. 

He  located  on  his  return  at  Marlboro,  Mass.,  where  he  continued 
in  practice  until  1859,  when  he  moved  to  Hartford,  Conn.  Upon 
April  18,  1861,  he  was  commissioned  surgeon  of  the  First  Connec- 
ticut Volunteer  Regiment,  and  was  in  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run. 
At  the  expiration  of  the  three  months  for  which  the  regiment  had 
enlisted,  he  received  a  commission  in  the  U.  S.  Medical  Service; 
he  was  forthwith  detailed  as  brigade  surgeon  under  Fremont  at 
St.  Louis,  but  was  soon  assigned  to  the  staff  of  Grant,  and  was 
with  him  in  the  Southwest,  except  for  a  short  period  when  serving 
as  medical  director  of  the  right  wing  of  the  army  under  McClellan. 
He  was  subsequently  medical  inspector  of  hospitals  on  the  staff  of 
Colonel  R.  C.  Wood,  assistant  surgeon  general ;  he  superintended 
the  building  of  the  Joe  Holt  Hospital  at  Jeffersonville,  Ind.,  and 
was  later  appointed  medical  director  of  the  U.  S.  general  hos- 
pitals at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  where  there  were  continuously  10,000 
patients  under  his  charge. 

In  September,  1865,  he  was  mustered  out,  at  his  own  request, 
with  the  brevet  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel. 

On  returning  to  Hartford  in  1865  he  resumed  general  practice, 
and  at  the  time  of  the  call  to  the  superintendency  of  the  Retreat, 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  507 

in  January,  1874,  he  probably  had  the  largest  practice  in  the  city, 
his  income  being  largely  in  excess  of  the  prospective  salary  as 
superintendent  of  the  Retreat,  but  the  demands  upon  his  strength 
had  occasioned  concern  among  his  friends  who  urged  upon  him  the 
wisdom  of  accepting  the  call,  a  step  he  never  regretted. 

He  was  a  prolific  writer  and  besides  many  unpublished  papers 
read  before  various  societies  he  wrote  several  brochures  and  books, 
among  which  were :  Parts  i  and  2  Med.  Vols,  and  Parts  i,  2  and 
3  Surg.  Vols,  of  the  "  Medical  and  Surgical  History  of  the  War 
of  the  Rebellion  "  ;  "  Classification  of  the  Insane  " ;  "  The  Relations 
of  Insanity  to  Modern  Civilization  "  ;  "  The  Insane  Diathesis  '' ; 
"  Phases  of  Insanity  " ;  "  The  Care  of  Some  Classes  of  the  In- 
sane "  ;  "  Expert  Evidence  in  the  Case  of  the  U.  S.  vs.  Guiteau  " ; 
"  Insanity,  Its  Causes  and  Prevention  " ;  "  Progress  in  the  Treat- 
ment of  the  Insane  " ;  "  General  Paresis  and  Senile  Insanity  " ; 
"  The  Classification  of  Mental  Diseases  " ;  "  The  Importance  of 
Cottages  for  the  Insane  " ;  "  Some  Notes  on  the  Present  State  of 
Psychiatry  ";  "  Lectures  on  Mental  Diseases  ";  "  Commissions  in 
Lunacy." 

He  was  lecturer  in  psychiatry  at  Yale  University  from  1875  to 
1897,  when  he  resigned  because  his  health  was  unequal  to  the 
strain  necessary  to  carry  on  such  additional  work. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  American  Medico-Psychological  As- 
sociation and  the  New  England  Psychological  Association;  vice- 
president  and  president  of  the  Connecticut  Medical  Society  and  of 
the  City  Medical  Society ;  a  member  of  the  Army  and  Navy  Club 
of  Connecticut ;  the  Military  Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  the 
United  States ;  Robert  O.  Tyler  Post,  No.  50,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Hart- 
ford ;  the  Society  of  Colonial  Wars ;  the  Connecticut  Historical 
Society ;  the  National  Geographic  Society ;  the  Sons  of  the 
American  Revolution,  and  a  director  in  several  financial  and  in- 
surance institutions  of  Hartford, 

He  was  in  active  charge  of  the  Hartford  Retreat  and  had 
relinquished  few  of  his  duties  until  the  fall  of  1904  when,  as  a 
result  of  failing  health,  he  found  it  necessary  to  withdraw  gradu- 
ally from  them  and  to  tender  his  resignation  March  31,  1905. 
Its  acceptance  marked  the  close  of  31  years  as  superintendent  of 
the  Retreat  and  50  years  in  the  medical  profession. 


508  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

After  a  comparatively  brief  and  painless  illness  he  passed  away 
May  27,  1905. 

He  married  at  Dumfries,  Scotland,  August  29,  1857,  Annie 
Elizabeth  Storrier,  who  died  April  16,  1903. 

DR.  CHARLES  HARRISON  STEDMAN. 

Dr.  Charles  Harrison  Stedman  was  born  in  Lancaster,  Mass., 
June  17,  1805.  He  entered  Yale  College,  whence  he  did  not  gradu- 
ate, but  received  subsequently  an  honorary  degree  of  A.  M.  He 
took  the  degree  of  M.  D.  at  Harvard  in  1828.  In  1830  he  was 
appointed  resident  surgeon  of  the  U.  S.  Marine  Hospital  at 
Chelsea.  In  1840  he  removed  to  Boston  and  entered  into  practice 
there.  In  1842  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  Boston 
Lunatic  Hospital  and  physician  and  surgeon  to  the  numerous  cor- 
rectional, industrial  and  reformatory  institutions  of  Boston,  sit- 
uated in  the  same  enclosure  as  the  Lunatic  Hospital.  In  185 1  he 
resumed  private  practice  in  Boston.  He  was  the  first  medical 
coroner  appointed  in  the  state.  In  185 1  he  was  elected  to  the 
Massachusetts  Senate.  In  1853  he  became  one  of  the  Governor's 
Council.  At  the  opening  of  the  Boston  City  Hospital  in  1864  he 
was  appointed  visiting  surgeon  of  the  institution,  and  when  he 
died  June  7,  1866,  was  senior  surgeon  at  that  institution. 

DR.  RICHARD  SPRIGG  STEUART. 

"  Richard  Sprigg  Steuart  was  of  Scotch  descent,  and  both  his 
father  and  grandfather  were  physicians.  He  was  born  in  Balti- 
more in  1797,  was  educated  at  St.  Mary's  College,  served  as  aide- 
de-camp  in  the  battle  of  North  Point,  1814,  commenced  the  study 
of  medicine  with  Dr.  William  Donaldson,  and  graduated  at  the 
University  of  Maryland  Medical  School  in  1822  ;  was  professor  of 
practice  of  medicine  in  the  same,  1843  5  president  of  the  Medical 
and  Chirurgical  Faculty  of  Maryland,  1848-1851 ;  vice-president 
of  American  Medical  Association,  1849  J  superintendent  of  the 
Maryland  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  1828-1862  and  1869-1876,  and 
founder  of  Spring  Grove  Hospital.  He  died  July  13,  1876,  aged 
78.  He  was  an  enlightened  physician,  a  public-spirited  citizen 
and  a  courteous  gentleman.    He  early  adopted  advanced  views  in 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  509 

regard  to  the  insane,  to  whose  rehef  he  devoted  his  Hfe  and 
means."  ^ 

It  is  not  known  what  led  him  to  become  interested  in  the  better 
care  of  the  insane  in  Maryland,  but  it  is  a  matter  of  history  that 
through  his  insistence  in  1828  the  state  was  prevailed  upon  to 
enforce  its  claim  for  the  possession  of  the  old  City  Hospital  which 
had  been  erected  on  ground  purchased  by  the  state  and  later  leased 
by  the  city  to  two  physicians,  who  conducted  it  as  a  combined 
city  hospital,  seaman's  hospital  and  institution  for  the  insane. 
Although  the  state  was  unable  to  regain  its  rights  in  the  property 
until  1834  by  reason  of  the  lease.  Dr.  Steuart  had  organized  a. 
Board  of  Visitors  from  the  state  at  large  six  years  before,  and  as 
president  of  this  board  he  made  regular  visitations  to  the  institu- 
tion. He  found  much  neglect  and  many  abuses  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  hospital.  He  remained  the  responsible  chief  executive 
officer  of  the  hospital  and  for  a  period  of  more  than  40  years 
guided  its  work,  although  not  a  resident  officer  until  late  in  his 
career.  He  obtained  money  from  the  Legislature  to  enlarge  and 
rebuild  the  hospital  and  often  became  personally  responsible  for 
the  expenses  of  the  same.  He  arranged  for  the  removal  of  the 
hospital  to  Catbnsville  and  solicited  the  sum  of  $20,000  which  was 
required,  in  addition  to  the  state  appropriation,  to  purchase  the 
site.  Originally  a  man  of  wealth,  he  gave  largely  of  his  means  to 
the  hospital  and  it  was  not  until  he  became  impoverished  by  the 
Civil  War  that  he  consented  to  receive  any  compensation  for  his 
services. 

The  material  for  a  sketch  of  Dr.  Steuart's  life  is  very  meager, 
as  he  wrote  little.  He  was  a  man  of  vigor  of  character  and  intel- 
lect and  possessed  an  easy  dignity  which  attracted,  rather  than 
repelled,  approaches.  His  remarkable  suavity  and  tactful  per- 
sonality were  both  shown  in  the  success  he  attained  in  securing 
contributions  to  benevolent  objects.  No  one  had  the  power  to 
refuse  him;  his  gentleness,  his  enthusiasm,  his  eloquent  speech 
were  irresistible.  He  was  instrumental  in  bringing  Miss  Dix  to 
Maryland  in  1852,  and  introduced  her  to  the  members  of  the 
Legislature  at  Annapolis,  where  she  spent  the  whole  winter, 

^  Quinan's  "  Medical  Annals  of  Baltimore,  Past  and  Present."  Balti- 
more, 1885. 


5IO  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

Before  the  war  he  possessed  a  large,  productive  estate  on  West 
River,  Anne  Arundel  County,  and  many  servants  (slaves),  but 
this  did  not  cause  him  to  give  up  his  life  work  as  a  physician.  His 
mind,  his  heart  and  his  purse  were  ever  at  the  call  of  the  un- 
fortunate. 

Dr.  James  A.  Steuart,^  his  son,  bears  personal  testimony  to  the 
influence  exerted  by  his  father  over  the  mind  of  the  late  Johns 
Hopkins  in  choosing  the  site  of  The  Johns  Hopkins  Hospital.  He 
says : 

After  the  building  of  the  new  hospital  at  Catonsville,  which  had  been 
interrupted  by  the  war,  had  been  resumed,  it  was  decreed  by  the  Legis- 
lature that  the  grounds  and  buildings  of  the  old  hospital  in  Baltimore  should 
be  sold  to  pay  for  the  new.  At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Visitors 
a  discussion  arose  as  to  how  the  property  should  be  sold  and  at  what  price. 
Several  propositions  had  been  presented  by  property  agents  and  others,  but 
nothing  had  been  determined  upon.  As  Dr.  Steuart  and  Johns  Hopkins 
were  standing  together  after  dinner  on  the  front  steps  of  the  hospital, 
the  former,  who  had  held  many  conversations  with  the  latter  in  regard 
to  his  declared  intention  of  leaving  the  greater  part  of  his  fortune  to 
found  a  university  and  a  hospital,  said  to  him :  "  Hopkins,  why  will  you 
not  buy  this  property  and  hold  it  as  a  part  of  your  estate  which  you  intend 
to  bequeath  for  such  noble  purposes,  and  found  your  great  hospital  here 
upon' this  historic  ground?  The  space  is  ample,  the  situation  all  that  could 
be  desired  for  the  purpose,  and  I  will  use  my  influence  with  our  Board  to 
sell  it  to  you — in  view  of  the  great  purpose  you  have  in  mind  and  the  great 
benefit  to  be  derived  in  the  future  by  the  citizens  of  the  state — for  $150,000. 
And  this,  as  you  know,  is  far  below  its  market  value.  If  you  should  post- 
pone action  in  the  matter,  the  board  will  be  obliged  to  sell  and  your  oppor- 
tunity will  be  forever  lost;  unless,"  he  added,  "you  care  to  pay  more  to 
others  at  a  later  period  to  recover  the  property  for  the  site  of  your  hospital." 
Mr.  Hopkins,  as  was  his  habit,  deliberated  for  some  minutes,  and  at  last 
said :  "  Doctor,  what  you  have  said  has  great  weight  in  my  mind  and  I  will 
give  you  an  early  answer."  Not  many  days  after  this  conversation  Mr. 
Hopkins  purchased  the  property  which  is  the  present  site  of  The  Johns 
Hopkins  Hospital. 

DR.  WILLIAM  HUGHES  STOKES. 

Dr.  William  Hughes  Stokes  was  born  at  Havre  de  Grace,  Md., 
January  18,  1812.  His  parents,  who  were  representatives  of  an 
old  Maryland  family,  removed  from  Havre  de  Grace  to  Baltimore 
in  1 81 8.     Receiving  his  elementary  education  in  Baltimore,  he 

^  Private  letter  quoted  by  Dr.  John  Morris  in  The  Johns  Hopkins  Hos- 
pital Bulletin,  Vol.  VH,  page  40. 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATED  5 II 

entered  the  junior  class  of  Yale  College  in  1829.  In  183 1  he  gradu- 
ated with  the  degree  of  B.  A.  and  in  1845  he  was  honored  with  the 
degree  of  M.  A.  from  Yale  College. 

He  read  medicine  for  a  year  in  the  office  of  Drs.  Donaldson  and 
Stewart,  of  Baltimore,  and  entered  the  Medical  Department  of 
the  University  of  Maryland,  and  was  subsequently  an  interne  at 
the  Baltimore  Infirmary.  In  1834  he  received  his  degree  of  M.  D. 
from  the  university  and  was  soon  afterwards  appointed  resident 
physician  to  the  Maryland  Hospital  for  the  Insane.  This  position, 
which  he  occupied  one  year,  early  directed  his  attention  to  the  care 
and  treatment  of  the  insane. 

In  the  autumn  of  1835  he  located  in  Mobile,  Ala.,  where  he 
remained  in  general  practice  until  1840,  and  also  held  the  position 
of  visiting  surgeon  to  the  U.  S.  Marine  Hospital  in  that  city.  Dur- 
ing his  residence  in  Mobile  the  city  was  swept  by  two  severe 
epidemics  of  yellow  fever,  one  in  1837,  the  other  in  1839. 

In  the  spring  of  1841  Dr.  Stokes  visited  Europe  and  spent  a 
year  in  the  hospitals  of  Dublin.  Here  he  became  the  special 
protege  of  the  celebrated  Wm.  Stokes,  then  one  of  the  leading 
medical  men  of  the  day,  and  was  greatly  assisted  by  his  warm 
friendship.  In  1842  he  returned  to  this  country  and  established 
himself  in  Baltimore,  and  in  the  same  year  accepted  the  position 
of  attending  physician  to  the  institution  for  the  insane,  then  known 
as  St.  Vincent's  Asylum,  and  subsequently  as  Mt.  Hope  Retreat. 

In  1845  he  was  appointed  lecturer  on  obstetrics  and  diseases  of 
women  and  children  in  the  University  of  Maryland,  but  resigned 
at  the  end  of  the  year  to  become  professor  of  the  same  branches 
in  the  Washington  University  at  Baltimore.  This  he  held  until 
1850,  when  he  resigned  to  devote  his  whole  time  to  the  specialty 
which  he  had  already  determined  to  make  his  life-work.  During 
the  greater  portion  of  his  professional  career  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Medico-Chirurgical  Faculty  of  Maryland  and  the  Association 
of  Medical  Superintendents  of  American  Institutions  for  the  In- 
sane, now  the  American  Medico-Psychological  Association. 

He  died  in  May,  1893.  He  was  a  type  of  the  old-school  gentle- 
man, his  manners  courtly  and  his  bearing  always  dignified.  He 
was  so  reserved  as  to  be  almost  stilted  in  his  dignity,  but  beneath 
this  there  was  a  warm  heart  that  always  won  the  admiration  of 
his  friends  and  the  love  and  attachment  of  his  patients.    His  life- 


512  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

work  was  Mt.  Hope  Retreat,  which  he  followed  from  its  humble 
beginning  with  a  handful  of  patients  to  a  position,  in  numbers  and 
appointments,  second  to  no  private  asylum  in  the  country.  He 
severed  his  active  connection  with  the  institution  in  1887  because 
of  the  infirmities  of  age. 

DR.  BARTON  W.  STONE. 

Dr.  Barton  W.  Stone  died  in  Louisville,  Ky.,  November  12, 
1901.  A  son  of  Judge  John  M.  Stone,  of  Fulton,  Mo.,  and  grand- 
son of  Rev.  Barton  W.  Stone,  of  Georgetown,  Ky.,  a  co-worker 
with  Alexander  Campbell,  he  was  born  in  Fulton,  Mo.,  in  1844, 
He  graduated  at  the  age  of  19  from  Westminster  College  second 
in  his  class.  He  entered  the  Kentucky  School  of  Medicine  at 
Louisville,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1867.  He  first  began  the 
practice  of  medicine  in  Louisville,  but  in  1869  was  appointed  first 
assistant  physician  to  the  Western  Kentucky  Asylum  at  Hopkins- 
ville,  under  Dr.  Rodman,  and  continued  in  the  position  for  20 
years,  when  he  became  superintendent  in  1889  upon  the  retire- 
ment of  Dr.  Rodman. 

Dr.  Rodman  had  done  excellent  work  in  his  asylum  during  the 
war,  when  its  buildings  were  destroyed  and  its  patients  were  scat- 
tered, but  these  conditions  and  the  economies  made  imperative  by 
them  had  rendered  his  management  ultra-conservative,  and  when 
Dr.  Stone  succeeded  he  found  many  things  needing  improvement, 
and  he  acted  with  vigor.  An  electric  light  plant  was  installed; 
the  laundry  was  remodelled  and  equipped  with  improved  machin- 
ery ;  water  works  were  put  in,  connected  with  all  parts  of  the 
place;  an  orchard  of  30  acres  was  planted  and  the  kitchen  was 
rearranged  on  a  modern  basis.  The  use  of  mechanical  restraint 
was  almost  abolished.  His  excellent  business  sense  was  shown  by 
the  manner  in  which  he  made  good  dormitories  out  of  old  attics, 
in  the  improvement  of  the  farm,  the  building  of  better  barns,  the 
increasing  of  the  milk  supply,  etc.,  all  without  increasing  the  per 
capita  expense. 

He  was  also  instrumental  in  securing  improved  laws  for  the 
insane. 

He  remained  as  superintendent  until  January  30,  1896,  when  he 
resigned  because  of  political  changes  in  Kentucky. 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  513 

He  then  went  abroad  to  visit  the  hospitals  and  asylums  of 
Europe,  that  he  might  more  thoroughly  equip  himself  for  private 
asylum  work.  In  September,  1896,  he  took  charge,  in  partnership 
with  Dr.  Crockett,  of  the  Morningside  Sanitarium  at  Nashville. 
He  remained  there  two  and  a  half  years,  and  then  removed  to 
Louisville  in  June,  1899,  and  established  Beechhurst  Sanitarium, 
where  he  remained  until  his  death,  which  was  caused  by  rheuma- 
tism, complicated  by  catarrhal  pneumonia.    He  was  unmarried. 

DR.  FRANCIS  T.  STRIBLING. 

Francis  T.  Stribling  was  born  near  Staunton,  Va.,  February  20, 
1810,  and  after  receiving  a  good  education,  was  at  first  employed 
in  assisting  his  father,  who  was  clerk  of  Augusta  County.  He 
took  one  course  of  medical  lectures  at  the  University  of  Virginia, 
and  another  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  taking  his  degree 
from  the  latter  in  1830  and  settling  to  practice  in  his  native  town. 
In  1836,  when  26  years  of  age,  he  was  elected  assistant  physician 
to  the  Western  Lunatic  Asylum  of  Virginia,  and  in  1840  its 
superintendent.  He  was  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Association  of  Medical  Superintendents  of  Institutions 
for  the  Insane  in  1844,  and  a  member  during  his  life.  He  was 
an  honorary  member  of  the  Virginia  Medical  Society.  His  entire 
time  was  devoted  to  the  management  of  the  asylum  and  the  care 
of  his  patients,  the  number  of  whom  increased  during  his  admin- 
istration from  72  to  more  than  350.  Possessing  professional  abil- 
ity, extensive  knowledge  of  mental  disorders,  evenness  of  temper, 
and  inflexible  firmness,  he  was  peculiarly  fitted  for  the  position. 
He  entered  heartily  into  the  early  reforms  in  the  treatment  of  the 
insane,  and  was  an  ardent  advocate  of  modern  humane  and  rational 
methods  of  treatment.  His  success  gained  an  extended  reputation, 
and  he  was  regarded  an  authority  in  his  native  state  on  all  ques- 
tions connected  with  insanity. 

He  took  also  an  active  interest  in  the  establishment  of  a  state 
institution  for  the  deaf,  dumb  and  blind  at  Staunton.  As  early 
as  1845  he  began  to  urge  the  establishment  of  a  hospital  exclu- 
sively for  the  colored  insane,  and  never  ceased  to  bring  it  to  the 
attention  of  the  Legislature  until  his  object  was  accomplished. 

He  died  at  his  home  in  Staunton  on  the  23d  of  July,  1874. 


514  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

His  best  known  writings  were  his  annual  reports,  which  were 
models  of  their  kind.  He  was  also  author  of  valuable  laws  govern- 
ing hospitals  for  the  insane,  which  were  enacted  by  the  Legis- 
lature. 

The  Western  State  Hospital  owns  a  portrait  of  him. 

DR.  JAMIN  STRONG. 

Jamin  Strong,  M.  D.,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  died  at  his  home  in 
that  city,  at  1.30  p.  m.,  January  29,  1895,  in  his  70th  year.  His 
death  was  sudden  and  unexpected. 

He  was  born  at  Parma,  Monroe  County,  N.  Y.,  November  o.'j, 
1825.  At  12  years  of  age  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Lorain 
County,  Ohio.  In  1846  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  under  Dr. 
Eber  Ward  Hubbard,  after  a  preliminary  training  in  the  public 
schools,  and  private  instruction  in  Latin,  Greek,  and  the  sciences 
from  his  sister.  He  graduated  from  the  Medical  Department  of 
Western  Reserve  University  in  the  session  of  1848-49,  and  began 
practice  in  Elyria,  where  he  continued  uninterruptedly  until  1869. 
During  that  year  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Ohio  Legisla- 
ture, but  resigned  at  the  close  of  the  first  session. 

The  following  year  he  removed  to  Oberlin,  Ohio.  He  spent 
the  succeeding  four  years  in  travel  and  study,  and  was  for  a  time 
employed  in  a  department  of  the  U.  S.  Treasury. 

On  November  19,  1875,  he  was  appointed  medical  superin- 
tendent of  the  Northern  Asylum  for  the  Insane  at  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  now  the  Cleveland  State  Hospital,  and  held  that  position 
through  the  kaleidoscopic  changes  of  Ohio  politics  for  15  years, 
resigning  at  last  in  1890,  a  victim  of  sweeping  political  changes  in 
the  asylums  of  the  state  during  that  year. 

He  opened  an  office  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  in  1891  was  ap- 
pointed health  officer  of  Cleveland.  At  the  end  of  his  term  of 
office  of  two  years,  he  entered  upon  the  special  treatment  of 
nervous  and  mental  diseases  and  continued  in  Cleveland  until  his 
death. 

r 

He  was  the  author  of  numerous  monographs,  among  which  may 
be  noted  "  Education  as  a  Factor  in  the  Prevention  of  Insanity  " ; 
"  The  Melancholy  Type  and  its  Relations  to  the  Different  Crises 
of  Life  ";  "  Psychology  the  Key  to  Medical  Science  "  ;  "  Physical 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE   UNITED   STATES  515 

Aids  to  the  Study  of  the  Mind  " ;  "  The  Emotions  and  How  to 
Manage  Them  " ;  "  The  Influence  of  Alcohol  on  the  Nervous  Sys- 
tem " ;  "  Different  Phases  of  Epilepsy  and  Hints  on  their  Diag- 
nosis." His  annual  reports  contained  discussions  of  interest  and 
practical  importance  in  the  care  of  the  insane,  and  reflected  the 
strong  traits  of  character  and  the  marked  individuality  of  their 
author. 

DR.  SELDEN  HAINES  TALCOTT. 

Dr.  Selden  Haines  Talcott,  medical  superintendent  of  the  Mid- 
dletown  State  Homeopathic  Hospital,  at  Middletown,  N.  Y.,  died 
June  15,  1902,  at  his  residence  in  the  hospital.  His  death  was  due 
to  dysentery  of  a  month's  duration.  Although  his  health  for  several 
months  prior  to  his  death  was  far  from  robust,  he  continued  to 
perform  his  duties,  and  on  May  14  attended  a  dinner  in  New 
York,  given  in  his  honor  by  the  homeopathic  physicians  of  the 
state,  to  commemorate  the  25th  anniversary  of  his  superintendency 
of  the  hospital,  at  which  he  was  presented  with  a  loving  cup  as  a 
token  of  personal  and  professional  esteem. 

He  was  born  in  Rome,  N.  Y.,  July  7,  1842,  and  traced  his 
ancestry  back  to  John  Talcott,  who  came  from  England  in  1632. 
His  great-grandfather,  Jonathan  Talcott,  was  an  ensign  in  the 
Revolutionary  Army,  and  after  the  close  of  the  war  settled  at 
Rome,  where  Dr.  Talcott's  father  was  born. 

He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native  city  and  was  gradu- 
ated from  the  Rome  Academy  with  prizes  in  English  composition 
and  declamation.  In  1862  he  entered  Hamilton  College,  where 
he  remained  one  year  and  left  it  to  enlist  in  Co.  K,  15th  New  York 
Volunteer  Engineers.  He  served  faithfully  until  the  close  of  the 
war,  and  received  an  honorable  discharge  at  Elmira  in  July,  1865. 
He  re-entered  Hamilton  College  and  completed  his  course  in  1869, 
receiving  the  degree  of  A.  M.  and  12  years  later  that  of  Ph.  D. 

He  began  the  study  of  medicine  in  1869  under  Dr.  E.  A. 
Munger,  of  Waterville,  and  in  1870  entered  the  New  York  Homeo- 
pathic Medical  College,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1872.  He 
was  president  of  his  class  and  valedictorian. 

In  1872  Dr.  Talcott  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at 
Waterville,  where  he  remained  until  1875,  when  he  received  the 
appointment  of  chief  of  staff  of  the  Homeopathic  Charity  Hospital 


5l6  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE    OF   THE    INSANE 

at  Ward's  Island.  He  began  his  life  among  the  insane  upon  the 
transfer  of  i6o  patients  from  the  New  York  City  Asylum  for  the 
Insane,  and  in  1877,  when  the  trustees  of  the  Middletown  State 
Hospital  sought  a  medical  superintendent,  his  experience  and 
qualifications  decided  them  to  select  him.  The  results  of  his  25 
years'  service  will  ever  stand  as  an  enduring  monument  to  his 
name  and  their  judgment. 

In  1873  he  married  at  Waterville,  Miss  Sarah  Munger,  daughter 
of  Dr.  E.  A.  Munger,  who  survives  him. 

DR.  H.  A.  TOBEY. 

Henr}^  Archibald  Tobey  was  born  April  6,  1852,  in  Union 
County,  Ohio.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  at  Ohio 
Wesleyan  University.  He  received  his  medical  degree  from  the 
]\Iiami  ]\Iedical  College  of  Cincinnati  in  1875.  He  began  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine  at  Sydney,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  until  1877, 
when  he  was  appointed  an  assistant  physician  at  the  Columbus 
State  Hospital  under  Dr.  Gundr}\  He  remained  at  Columbus  until 
1880,  when  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  Dayton  Insane 
Hospital.  In  1884  he  resigned,  to  enter  upon  private  practice  at 
Lima,  Ohio,  but  was  soon  made  superintendent  of  the  new  Toledo 
Hospital  and  removed  to  Toledo,  where  he  remained  until  1891, 
when  he  became  a  victim  to  the  Ohio  conception  of  the  need  of 
pohtical  control  of  institutions  for  the  insane.  He  was  reappointed 
superintendent  in  1892,  and  remained  until  he  failed  in  health, 
and  retired  in  1906.  He  died  suddenly  at  his  summer  camp  in 
Canada,  April  18,  1908. 

He  was  an  unusual  man,  big  in  body,  mind  and  soul.  He  had 
an  active,  strong  mind,  and  gave  much  thought  and  attention  to 
mechanical  inventions.  He  devised  an  automatic  hot  water  heater, 
a  steam  trap  and  a  gas  meter,  which  have  been  most  useful  in 
large  public  institutions.  He  had  marked  organizing  ability.  He 
was  also  interested  in  the  poor  and  needy,  and  his  charities, 
although  not  proclaimed  to  others,  were  limited  only  by  his  purse. 

DR.  ELI  TODD. 
Eli  Todd,  AI.  D.,  extensively  known  as  the  superintendent  of  the 
Hartford  Retreat,  was  bom  in  New  Haven,  Conn,  on  July  22,  1769. 
His  father,  Michael  Todd,  a  respectable  and  wealthy  merchant, 


DR.   SELDEN   HAINES  TALCOTT. 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE   UNITED   STATES  517 

died  when  his  son  was  five  years  of  age,  leaving  him  to  the  care  of 
his  mother  and  an  elder  half-brother,  from  whom  he  received  every 
kindness.  He  had  two  younger  sisters,  one  of  whom  married 
Samuel  Crafts,  a  Governor  of  Vermont  and  a  member  of  the 
U.  S.  Senate.  At  the  age  of  six  years  he  was  placed  under  the 
care  and  instruction  of  his  great  uncle,  Jonathan  Todd,  D.  D.,  of 
East  Guilford,  Conn.,  from  whom,  as  he  said,  he  received  "  the 
milk  of  his  education."  He  here  commenced  the  study  of  Latin 
and  other  branches  preparatory  to  a  collegiate  education.  At  the 
age  of  10  he  was  placed  under  the  instruction  of  Elizur  Goodrich, 
D,  D,,  of  Durham,  Conn.,  a  divine  and  a  teacher  of  youth,  and 
continued  with  him  until  he  was  fitted  for  college.  He  entered 
Yale  College  in  1783,  at  the  age  of  14. 

He  graduated  in  1787,  at  the  age  of  18,  with  honors,  "  dis- 
tinguished for  his  literary  and  scientific  attainments." 

After  his  graduation  he  visited  the  West  Indies  with  the  inten- 
tion of  extending  his  travels  to  Europe  and  even  to  Asia,  but  had 
an  attack  of  yellow  fever  in  the  Island  of  Trinidad,  and  upon 
recovery  was  advised  to  return  home. 

His  father  left  him  a  handsome  patrimony  in  the  hands  of  his 
elder  brother,  who  was  lost  on  a  voyage  from  the  West  Indies  to 
this  country  with  his  ship  and  the  whole  cargo.  The  fortunes  of 
the  family  being  thus  swept  away,  he  was  thrown  upon  his  own  re- 
sources. He  commenced  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  Ebenezer 
Beardsley  as  his  preceptor,  and  later  began  practice  in  the  town  of 
Farmington,  Conn.,  in  1790,  before  he  was  fully  21  years  of  age. 
He  soon  acquired  a  reputation  and  with  it  an  extensive  private 
practice. 

He  married  on  August  9,  1796,  Miss  Rachel  Hill,  of  Farming- 
ton,  who  died  in  March,  1825.  In  November,  1828,  he  married 
Catherine  Hill,  sister  of  his  first  wife. 

In  1815,  after  practising  his  profession  in  Farmington  for  about 
20  years,  he  removed  to  the  City  of  New  York,  where  he  remained 
but  a  short  time,  and  returned  to  Farmington. 

In  1819  he  removed  to  Hartford,  where  he  soon  became  the 
most  distinguished  physician  in  the  city. 

In  1821  the  number  of  cases  of  insanity  in  the  city  and  its 
vicinity  attracted  attention  to  the  need  of  a  suitable  place  for  their 
treatment  and  care.    He  strove  with  zeal  and  intelligence  to  supply 


5l8  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

the  need,  and  Connecticut  is  indebted  to  him  more  than  to  any 
other  individual  worker  for  the  establishment  of  the  Retreat  at 
Hartford. 

Dr.  Todd  was  of  a  nervous  temperament,  which  he  inherited 
from  his  father,  who  died  insane.  His  only  sister  who  survived 
infancy  was  periodically  insane  and  died  by  suicide ;  and  he  was 
always  apprehensive  that  he  might  himself  fall  a  victim  to  mental 
disease.  These  circumstances  no  doubt  had  much  to  do  with 
his  exceptional  interest  in  insanity  and  its  treatment. 

When  the  Retreat  was  ready  to  receive  patients  all  eyes  turned 
to  Dr.  Todd  as  its  logical  physician  and  superintendent.  But  such 
was  his  innate  delicacy  of  feeling,  and  so  apprehensive  was  he 
that  the  public  would  attribute  his  strenuous  efforts  in  behalf  of 
the  Retreat  to  selfish  desire  for  place  and  honors,  that  he  resisted 
long  and  firmly  the  solicitations  of  his  friends  to  accept  the  appoint- 
ment. He  finally  yielded  to  importunities,  and  entered  upon  his 
duties  with  a  zeal  and  disinterestedness  which  foreshadowed  the 
success  which  he  finally  attained. 

He  took  the  Retreat  in  its  infancy  without  patients  and  almost 
without  resources,  at  a  time  when  public  sentiment  was  far  from 
favorable  to  such  institutions.  He  carried  into  successful  opera- 
tion a  course  of  management  peculiarly  his  own,  and  gave  to  it 
an  enviable  and  well-deserved  reputation. 

He  was  later  solicited  to  take  the  charge  of  the  Bloomingdale 
Asylum,  near  New  York,  and  subsequently  was  elected  superin- 
tendent of  the  State  Lunatic  Hospital  at  Worcester,  both  of  which 
positions  were  more  lucrative  than  his  office  at  the  Retreat,  but  he 
declined  them  both. 

During  the  last  three  years  of  his  life  he  suffered  from  angina 
pectoris  and  towards  the  end  there  were  pulmonary  hemorrhages, 
if  one  may  so  interpret  "  a  copious  discharge  from  the  pulmonary 
cells  of  a  thin  and  bloody  fluid."  He  visited  health  resorts  without 
gaining  relief  and  died  November  17,  1833,  at  the  age  of  64. 

A  friend,  writing  after  his  death,  said  of  him : 

He  had  a  chivalrous  sense  of  honor  and  integrity,  softened  by  the  most 
exquisite  feelings  of  humanity  and  philanthropy.  His  professional  life 
was  a  series  of  most  benevolent  acts,  and  from  his  eminent  talents,  as 
well  as  from  his  particular  station,  he  was  enabled  to  mitigate  a  greater 
proportion  of  the  corporeal  and  mental  ills  of  humanity  than  falls  to  the 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE   UNITED   STATES  519 

lot  of  most  men.  A  peculiar  suavity  of  manner  and  an  unaffected  sympathy 
in  the  distresses  of  others  justly  inspired  greater  confidence  of  his  patients 
in  him  than  in  any  other  physician  we  ever  knew.  For  many  years  he  has 
been  very  generally  considered  at  the  head  of  his  profession  in  the  state. 

DR.  HARRY  ASHTON  TOMLINSON.' 

Dr.  Tomlinson  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  July  3,  1855.  His 
parents,  George  Washington  Tomlinson  and  Sarah  (McCahon), 
were  natives  of  the  same  state.  His  father  belonged  to  an  old 
Quaker  family,  and  his  mother  was  of  Scotch-Irish  parentage. 
At  the  opening  of  the  war  his  father  went  to  the  front  as  a 
lieutenant  in  the  26th  Pennsylvania,  and  when  mustered  out  in 
1863  re-enlisted  in  the  99th  Pennsylvania,  rising  to  the  rank  of 
major.  He  participated  in  all  of  the  engagements  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  and  at  Deep  Bottom,  Va.,  near  the  close  of  the  war, 
was  wounded,  sustaining  injuries  which  eventually  caused  his 
death.  His  son,  Harry  Ashton  Tomlinson,  attended  school  at 
intervals  during  his  youth,  but  from  the  age  of  16  was  dependent 
entirely  upon  his  own  resources.  While  in  a  general  store  at 
Bath,  N.  Y.,  for  six  years,  he  occupied  his  leisure  in  the  study 
of  the  rudimentary  principles  of  medicine.  He  thus  won  a  scholar- 
ship offered  by  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  in  1877  matric- 
ulated at  that  institution.  He  graduated  in  medicine  in  1880,  and 
engaged  in  practice  at  Muncie,  Pa.,  for  eight  years.  In  June, 
1889,  he  was  appointed  assistant  physician  of  the  Friends'  Hospital 
at  Frankford,  Pa.,  and  remained  three  years. 

In  1 89 1  he  became  assistant  superintendent  of  the  St.  Peter 
State  Hospital,  and  in  June,  1893,  following  the  resignation  of 
Dr.  C.  K.  Bartlett,  he  was  made  superintendent.  During  his  12 
years  at  St.  Peter  State  Hospital  he  inaugurated  new  methods  in 
the  treatment  of  the  insane,  and  the  hospital  became  one  of  the 
first  rank  through  his  efforts.  He  recognized  and  practised  hos- 
pital methods  and  discarded  the  old  asylum  ideas.  He  introduced 
women  nurses  into  the  men's  wards  and  equipped  the  building  with 
modern  appliances,  and  through  his  work  became  a  recognized 
authority  in  psychiatry. 

In  191 2  a  state  hospital  for  inebriates  at  Willmar,  Minn.,  was 
established,  and  he  divided  his  time  between  the  two  cities,  super- 

^  By  William  A.  Jones,  M.  D.,  St.  Paul,  Minn. 
40 


520  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

intending  his  own  hospital  and  watching  the  construction  of  the 
new  institution,  of  which  he  later  became  superintendent. 

He  was  a  student,  keeping  up  with  the  progress  of  medicine, 
particularly  that  which  related  to  the  care  and  treatment  of  the 
insane.  He  wrote  much  on  topics  connected  with  his  special  work, 
but  did  not  hesitate  to  discuss  general  medical  problems  as  he  saw 
them  among  those  who  were  under  his  care.  Although  his  views 
on  pathology  were  looked  upon  by  some  of  his  associates  as 
unique,  they  were  fundamentally  sound. 

He  was  an  ardent  debater  and  speaker  and  a  genial  and  whole- 
some companion,  and  had  many  friends  in  Minnesota. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  American  Medical  Association,  the 
American  Medico-Psychological  Association,  the  American  Con- 
gress of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  the  American  Neurological 
Association,  the  New  York  Medical  Legal  Society,  the  Phila- 
delphia Neurological  Society,  the  Minnesota  Academy  of  ^Medicine, 
the  Minnesota  State  Medical  Association,  the  Minnesota  Valley 
Medical  Association,  and  the  National  and  State  Conference  of 
Charities  and  Corrections. 

He  married  in  April,  1884,  Miss  Mary  Vandever,  of  New  Castle, 
Del. 

On  the  24th  of  February,  1913,  he  had  a  cerebral  hemorrhage 
which  produced  complete  left-sided  hemiplegia,  and  died  at  his 
home  in  Willmar  on  May  30,  19 13. 

Those  who  knew  Dr.  Tomlinson  and  those  who  were  closely 
associated  with  him  appreciated  him  both  as  a  man  and  as  a 
progressive  physician.  He  stimulated  others  to  work  and  think, 
and  his  record  as  a  psychiatrist  will  be  a  lasting  monument  to  his 
memory. 

DR.  JOHN  EUGENE  TYLER. 

Dr.  John  Eugene  Tyler  was  born  in  Boston  December  9,  1819 ; 
was  graduated  from  Dartmouth  College  in  1842  ;  studied  medicine 
with  Dr.  Dunn  at  Newport,  R.  L ;  received  the  degree  of  M.  D. 
from  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  and  also  from  Dartmouth  in 
1846;  and  entered  upon  the  practice  of  medicine  at  Salmon  Falls, 
N.  H.,  the  same  year.  He  was  a  member  of  the  New  Hampshire 
Legislature  for  seven  years,  and  in  1852  was  chosen  superintendent 
of  the  Asylum  for  the  Insane  at  Concord,  N.  H.    After  five  years 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE   UNITED   STATES  521 

at  Concord  he  was  elected  to  succeed  Dr.  Booth  at  McLean 
Asylum,  entering  upon  his  duties  in  1858.  After  his  retirement 
in  1 87 1  he  resided  in  Boston  as  a  consulting  physician  in  mental 
diseases.  He  was  for  many  years  professor  of  mental  diseases 
at  Harvard  Medical  School.  He  died  in  Boston  of  pneumonia 
March  9,  1878. 

Dr.  Isaac  Ray  said  of  Dr.  Tyler : 

Without  any  profound  study  of  psychological  science,  he  possessed  that 
nice  discernment  of  abnormal  conditions  which  springs  from  a  happy 
faculty  of  observation.  His  success  was  much  promoted  by  a  genial  temper 
and  a  pleasing  address,  that  always  made  him  a  welcome  companion, 
bringing  at  every  visit  a  gleam  of  sunshine  to  many  darkened  souls.  Few 
could  withstand  the  cheering  influence  of  his  hearty  laugh  and  pleasant 
words. 

DR.  CHARLES  E.  VAN  ANDEN. 

Dr.  Charles  E.  Van  Anden  was  born  in  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  January 
9,  1819,  and,  with  a  few  brief  absences,  spent  his  whole  life  there. 
He  entered  Union  College  in  1835,  and  graduated  in  1839.  After 
leaving  college  he  spent  some  time  as  a  private  tutor  in  New  York, 
and  later  became  a  student  of  theology  with  the  late  Dr.  Croswell, 
of  Auburn.  For  reasons  quite  satisfactory  to  himself,  he  gave 
up  the  study  of  theology  and  began  that  of  medicine  in  the  office 
of  Dr.  Lansing  Briggs,  of  Auburn,  and  received  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Medicine  from  Buffalo  University  in  1850,  having 
previously  attended  two  courses  of  lectures  at  Geneva  Medical 
College. 

He  opened  an  office  in  Auburn  and  began  to  practice  his  pro- 
fession. 

In  1852  he  was  called  to  take  charge  of  a  cholera  hospital  at 
Buffalo,  at  a  time  when  cHolera  was  making  great  havoc  in  that 
city.  He  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  the  call  of  duty,  and 
unhesitatingly  entered  upon  his  work,  and  by  his  calm  and  dignified 
Christian  deportment,  and  the  wise  exercise  of  his  skill  as  a 
physician,  won  the  esteem  and  approbation  of  all. 

In  1857  he  became  physician  to  the  Auburn  State  Prison,  and  in 
1859  was  appointed  assistant  to  Dr.  Edward  Hall,  then  superin- 
tendent of  the  Asylum  for  Insane  Convicts,  and  on  Dr.  Hall's 
retirement  in  1862  succeeded  him  to  that  responsible  position. 
This  position  he  held  until  1870.  After  his  retirement  he  devoted 
himself  to  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Auburn.     Modest, 


522  INSTITUTIONAL    CARE    OF    THE    INSANE 

sensitive,  and  distrustful  of  his  own  abilities,  he  lacked  the  ag- 
gressive qualities  so  requisite  to  success,  but  performed  all  work 
placed  in  his  hands  with  the  greatest  intelligence  and  fidelity. 

He  was  dignified  in  manners,  but  courteous,  his  affability  and 
kindness  winning  the  hearts  of  those  with  whom  he  was  most 
intimate.  In  general  knowledge,  in  sound  judgment  and  in  the 
graces  of  refinement  and  scholarly  cultivation,  Dr.  Van  Anden 
excelled.  Of  the  greatest  purity  of  character  in  private  life,  he 
maintained  a  spotless  reputation  as  a  public  officer.  He  died  a 
poor,  but  an  honest,  man. 

At  the  time  of  his  death  Dr.  Van  Anden  was  a  member  of  the 
New  York  State  Medical  Society  and  of  the  Medical  Society  of 
Cayuga  County. 

His  death  occurred  October  19,  1873,  eight  days  after  a  pecuUar 
and  distressing  accident.  He  drew  into  the  oesophagus  a  rubber 
plate  of  triangular  form,  about  an  inch  in  diameter,  to  which  was 
attached  a  single  tooth.  After  making  several  unsuccessful 
attempts  to  remove  it,  he  called  upon  an  able  surgeon  who  also 
failed  to  detect  its  location  and  to  remove  it.  Violent  inflammation 
supervened,  with  swelling,  and  inability  to  swallow.  He  was  vis- 
ited by  an  eminent  surgeon  from  an  adjoining  city  on  the  fourth 
day,  when  the  inflammation  and  swelling  had  become  so  great 
an  exploration  of  the  oesophagus  was  impracticable.  Upon  the 
eighth  day  a  profuse  hemorrhage  took  place,  from  which  he  sank 
and  died. 

An  autopsy  revealed  the  plate  concealed  just  within  the  oesoph- 
agus, a  sharp  angle  of  which  had  made  an  incision  about  one- 
half  an  inch  in  length  through  its  posterior  wall.  Near  the  base 
of  the  right  lung  was  a  gangrenous  mass,  involving  the  tissue  of 
the  lung  itself,  and  which  was  the  seat  of  the  hemorrhage.  In 
attempting  to  swallow,  liquid  aliment  was  forced  through  the 
aperture  in  the  oesophagus,  which  infiltrated  itself  through  the 
cellular  tissue,  and  gravitating  to  the  point  mentioned,  had  excited 
inflammation,  that  resulted  in  gangrene  and  death. 

DR.  EDWIN  HOLMES  VAN  DEUSEN. 
Dr.  Van  Deusen  was  born  in  Livingston,  N.  Y.,  August  29,  1828, 
and  graduated   from  Williams   College  in  his  20th  year.     He 
received  his  medical  education  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  523 

Surgeons  of  New  York,  and  on  his  graduation  in  185 1  was  given 
an  appointment  as  house  physician  in  the  New  York  Hospital. 
At  the  close  of  his  term  of  service  he  was  appointed  an  assistant 
physician  in  the  Utica  Asylum.  He  remained  at  Utica  until  1858, 
when  he  resigned  and  removed  to  Michigan  to  accept  the  superin- 
tendency  of  the  Michigan  Asylum  at  Kalamazoo,  which  had  been 
under  construction  since  1854,  but  was  not  opened  until  1859. 
Here  he  remained  for  20  years,  and  resigned  in  1878  because  of 
impaired  health.  He  not  only  placed  his  institution  on  a  high  plane 
of  efficiency,  but  also  gave  an  impetus  to  the  care  of  the  insane 
throughout  Michigan  which  it  has  never  lost.  He  was  a  facile 
writer,  and,  although  he  published  no  books,  the  influence  of  his 
correspondence  throughout  the  state  was  large  and  his  biennial 
reports  were  much  valued  by  the  medical  profession.  One  of  the 
best  known  of  his  writings  was  a  paper  on  neurasthenia,  written 
as  an  appendix  to  a  report,  in  1869,  before  Beard  had  written 
on  the  subject. 

His  succeeding  years,  when  not  employed  in  public  service  on 
two  commissions,  one  to  locate  and  erect  the  institution  at  Pontiac 
and  the  other  to  locate  a  similar  institution  at  Traverse  City,  or  as 
a  member  of  the  Michigan  Board  of  Corrections  and  Charities 
for  several  years,  were  spent  quietly  in  his  own  home  in  equally 
efficient  labors  for  the  public  good.  He  presented  a  public  library 
to  Kalamazoo  and  a  convenient  parish  building  to  St.  Luke's 
Church. 

He  died  after  a  long  illness  July  6,  1909. 

DR.  CLEMENT  A.  WALKER. 

Dr.  Clement  A.  Walker  was  born  in  Fryeburg,  Me.,  July  3, 
1820.  His  boyhood  was  passed  near  the  White  Mountains  of 
New  Hampshire.  He  received  his  preparatory  education  at  the 
Fryeburg  Academy,  and  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  in  1842. 
During  his  college  career  his  health  gave  way  and  he  travelled  in 
the  South,  teaching  school  for  a  time  in  Virginia.  He  had  suf- 
fered from  hemorrhage  from  the  lungs,  which  led  his  friends  to 
fear  a  fatal  result,  but  he  afterwards  acquired  an  apparently 
vigorous  physique,  which  was  severely  tested  by  his  30  years  of 
active  hospital  life. 


524  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

He  graduated  in  medicine  at  Harvard  University  in  1850,  and 
began  practice  in  South  Boston  under  Dr.  Charles  H.  Stedman, 
who  was  then  physician  to  all  the  city  institutions  located  there, 
including  the  Boston  Lunatic  Hospital.  In  1847-49,  when  cholera 
and  ship- fever  were  prevalent  among  the  emigrants  at  the  quaran- 
tine station  at  Deer  Island,  he  volunteered  his  assistance,  and 
entered  on  the  work  of  managing  these  unfamiliar  and  dreaded 
diseases  with  characteristic  promptness,  courage  and  skill. 

On  July  I,  185 1,  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  Boston 
Lunatic  Hospital,  which  position  he  held  until  his  resignation  on 
account  of  ill  health,  January  i,  1881,  a  period  of  nearly  30  years. 
This  hospital,  built  in  1839,  had  been  in  charge  of  Dr.  Butler,  and 
Dr.  Stedman,  whom  Dr.  Walker  succeeded,  for  a  period  of  12 
years.  In  its  rear  was  a  semi-detached  building  known  as  the  "  Cot- 
tage," fitted  up  with  cells  like  those  of  a  police  station  for  the  violent 
insane.  Such  cells  were  supposed  to  be  a  necessary  adjunct  to  a 
hospital  for  the  insane  in  those  days.  Dr.  Walker,  however,  im- 
mediately advised  their  disuse,  and  in  a  short  time  succeeded  in 
having  them  abandoned  by  gradually  placing  their  occupants  in 
the  wards  of  the  main  building,  and  thus  became  one  of  the 
pioneers  in  the  discontinuance  of  cells  in  the  treatment  of  the 
insane. 

In  appearance  Dr.  Walker  was  a  little  above  medium  height, 
becoming  stout  in  middle  life.  His  eyes  were  dark  and  piercing ; 
his  mouth  expressive  of  firmness.  His  hair,  jet  black  in  youth, 
turned  white  at  35,  and  with  his  snowy  beard  gave  him  the  appear- 
ance of  a  vigorous  old  age  in  early  manhood. 

He  early  recognized  the  necessity  of  better  accommodations 
for  the  city's  insane,  and  for  years  labored  earnestly  with  this 
object  in  view,  until  success  nearly  crowned  his  efforts.  A  site 
for  the  new  hospital  was  purchased,  plans  made  and  adopted,  and 
an  appropriation  passed,  only  to  be  vetoed  by  the  mayor,  who 
opposed  the  project.  This  veto  was  a  severe  blow  to  his  hopes, 
and  he  had  only  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  city's  plan  of  con- 
struction adopted  at  Danvers,  and  of  having  medical  supervision 
of  the  work  in  behalf  of  the  commission  who  had  it  in  charge. 

He  was  an  active  member  of  the  Medico-Psychological  Asso- 
ciation from  1 85 1  until  a  short  time  before  his  death,  and  was 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE   UNITED   STATES  525 

president  for  three  years.  He  was  also  a  member  of  numerous 
medical  societies.  During  the  Civil  War  he  was  appointed  inspec- 
tor of  hospitals  and  made  a  tour  of  service  in  the  West.  In  1872 
he  made  a  brief  visit  to  Europe.  Through  the  influence  of  the 
German  consul  he  was  presented  with  the  decoration  of  an  order 
of  nobility  for  his  humane  treatment  of  an  insane  German  citizen 
in  Boston. 

DR.  D.  R.  WALLACE. 

Dr.  David  R.  Wallace  died  November  21,  191 1,  at  his  home  in 
Waco,  Tex.,  surrounded  by  his  wife  and  descendants  to  the 
fourth  generation. 

He  was  born  in  Pitt  County,  N.  C,  in  1825.  He  spent  his 
early  boyhood  on  his  father's  farm,  and  went  to  school  when  op- 
portunity permitted.  Later  he  entered  Wake  Forest  College  near 
Raleigh,  N.  C,  and  graduated  with  honors.  In  1853  he  began 
the  study  of  medicine,  and  graduated  at  the  University  of 
New  York,  and  afterwards  served  in  a  hospital  in  New  York. 
His  ability  attracted  the  attention  of  the  late  Dr.  John  W.  Draper, 
who  offered  Dr.  Wallace  a  teaching  position,  which  he  declined 
on  account  of  his  health.  In  1854  he  removed  to  Texas,  where 
he  resided  until  his  death.  His  life  of  57  years  in  Texas  covers 
a  long  and  eventful  period  in  the  affairs  of  his  adopted  state, 
during  which  he  took  a  keen  interest  and  an  active  part,  not  only 
in  progressive  medicine,  but  also  in  national  and  state  politics. 
He  was  active  in  educational  and  literary  fields,  and  was  professor 
of  Greek,  Latin  and  French  in  Baylor  University,  and  continued 
the  practice  of  medicine  at  the  same  time  until  1862,  when,  with- 
out solicitation,  he  received  from  the  Surgeon-General  of  the 
Confederate  States  an  appointment  as  surgeon,  and  served  until 
the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  returned  home  penniless  and  re- 
sumed the  practice  of  medicine  in  Waco.  In  1874  he  was  ap- 
pointed superintendent  of  the  State  Lunatic  Asylum  at  Austin,, 
Tex.,  and  served  until  1879,  when  he  returned  to  Waco.  In  1883 
he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  North  Texas  Insane  Asy- 
lum at  Terrell,  which  position  he  filled  until  1891,  when  he  again 
returned  to  his  home  in  Waco.  During  his  long  and  efficient 
service  in  the  two  asylums  of  Texas  he  modernized  and  simplified 
the  treatment,  nursing  and  care  of  the  insane  along  scientific  and 


526  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

practical  lines.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Texas  State 
Medical  Association,  and  once  its  president.  He  was  for  many 
years  an  active  member  of  the  American  Medico-Psychological 
Association,  and  for  several  years  was  an  honorary  member. 

DR.  JOSEPH  T.  WEBB. 

Dr.  Joseph  T.  Webb  was  born  in  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  in  1827. 
Here  he  received  his  preliminary  education.  He  entered  the  Ohio 
Wesleyan  University  at  Delaware,  Ohio,  and  graduated  with 
honors  in  the  year  1848.  Soon  afterward  he  began  the  study 
of  medicine  in  the  office  of  his  father,  a  physician  of  Chillicothe, 
and  later  matriculated  at  Transylvania  Medical  College,  Lexing- 
ton, Ky.,  where  he  graduated  in  1852.  He  opened  an  office  and 
continued  the  practice  of  medicine  in  Cincinnati  until  1858,  when 
he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  varnish,  and  was  in  this  busi- 
ness upon  the  opening  of  the  war  in  1861,  when  he  entered  the 
volunteer  service  of  the  U.  S.  Army  as  surgeon  of  the  23d  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry,  in  which  capacity  he  served  until  1865.  Not 
long  after  he  married  Miss  Anna  Matthews,  and  traveled  through- 
out Europe  until  1871,  when  he  was  elected  superintendent  of 
Longview  Asylum  for  the  Insane.  He  resigned  this  office  in  1874 
on  account  of  ill  health,  and  traveled  again  over  Europe  and 
America,  with  the  hope  that  change  of  air  and  location  might 
be  found  of  benefit  to  him.  He  died  at  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  April 
27,  1880,  at  the  age  of  53.  He  possessed  great  executive  ability 
and  was  generous,  sympathetic,  impulsive,  kind  and  obliging,  a 
true  friend  and  a  true  gentleman.  He  was  brother-in-law  of 
ex-President  Hayes  and  also  of  Stanley  Matthews,  Associate 
Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States. 

DR.  JAMES  N.  WHITAKER. 

Dr.  J.  N.  Whitaker  was  born  in  Baldwin  County,  Ga.,  October 
II,  1845,  and  died  at  Milledgeville,  Ga.,  August  12,  191 1,  age  66 
years.  After  attending  the  county  schools  he  entered  Oglethorpe 
University  in  Midway,  Ga.,  and  soon  after,  at  the  age  of  19, 
entered  the  Confederate  Army.  Just  before  the  close  of  the  war 
he  was  wounded  in  the  head  by  a  shell  while  engaged  in  an 
artillery  battle  at  Savannah,  Ga. 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  527 

He  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  Union  Army,  and  held  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  After  returning  home  he  read  medicine,  and 
entered  the  University  of  Georgia  Medical  School  at  Augusta, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  the  year  1869.  He  located  near  Mil- 
ledgeville,  in  Baldwin  County,  and  entered  upon  a  country  practice. 

After  several  years  he  was  elected  a  physician  to  the  Georgia 
State  Sanitarium,  where  he  served  as  assistant  physician,  and 
later  as  assistant  superintendent  until  his  last  illness,  giving  more 
than  30  years  of  service  to  this  institution.  He  was  a  valuable 
man  in  institutional  work  because  he  had  the  good  of  the  patient 
at  heart.  All  loved  him  and  knew  that  they  had  a  friend  in  him. 
He  was  highly  appreciated  by  the  superintendent  for  his  loyalty 
and  fidelity  to  the  institution. 

He  was  a  man  of  energy  and  indomitable  courage.  He  never 
forsook  a  friend,  and  knew  not  what  it  was  to  be  selfish,  always 
preferring  others  to  himself  and  always  ready  to  respond  to  the 
calls  of  charity. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church,  of  the  Baldwin 
County  Medical  Society,  of  the  Georgia  State  Medical  Associa- 
tion, and  of  the  American  Medico-Psychological  Association. 

DR.  SAMUEL  WHITE. 

Dr.  Samuel  White  was  born  in  Connecticut  on  February  23, 
1777.  He  commenced  his  professional  career  at  Hudson,  N.  Y., 
in  1797. 

Owing  to  the  occurrence  of  insanity  in  his  own  family,  he  was 
led  to  pay  much  attention  to  mental  disorders,  and  in  1830  he 
established  a  private  institution  at  Hudson,  which  he  successfully 
conducted.  In  1840  he  was  elected  president  of  the  New  York 
Medical  Society,  and  delivered  an  address  on  insanity  which  pre- 
sented one  of  the  best  synopses  of  our  knowledge  of  insanity, 
especially  of  its  treatment,  which  has  ever  been  published.  His 
health  began  to  fail  shortly  after  the  meeting  of  the  Association, 
and  he  died  at  Hudson,  February  10,  1845. 

He  was  tall  and  slender,  his  countenance  grave  and  dignified. 
With  iron  gray  hair  and  a  sober,  calm  and  thoughtful  expression, 
he  gave  the  impression  of  a  man  of  earnest  character,  and  of 
thoughtful,  studious  habits.    Within  a  limited  sphere  he  discharged 


528  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

the  various  duties  of  a  long  and  active  professional  life  with  ability 
and  in  a  truly  Christian  spirit. 

DR.  HERVEY  BACKUS  WILBUR. 

This  philanthropist  and  educator  of  defectives  was  bom  in 
Wendell,  Mass.,  August  18,  1820 ;  his  father  was  a  Congregational 
minister,  a  lecturer  on  natural  history,  and  the  author  of  a  popular 
work  on  astronomy. 

The  son  graduated  from  Amherst  College  in  1838,  and  from 
the  Berkshire  Medical  College  at  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  in  1842,  and 
later  practised  medicine  at  Lowell  and  Barre.  He  first  married 
Elizabeth  Holden,  and  after  her  death  Emily  Petheram,  of  Skan- 
eateles,  N.  Y. 

He  became  interested  in  Dr.  Edward  Seguin's  success  in  teach- 
ing idiots  at  Bicetre,  and  eagerly  read  his  books  on  the  subject. 
Later  when  his  preceptor  at  Lowell  had  left  his  practice  tempo- 
rarily in  his  charge,  he  visited  the  County  Home,  where  he  found 
a  man  who  was  an  idiot  and  who  only  possessed  a  good  memory 
for  dates.  The  belief  that  from  this  one  faculty  the  man's  mind 
could  have  been  educated  to  a  certain  degree,  took  possession  of 
him,  and  in  1848,  at  Barre,  Mass.,  in  his  own  house,  he  opened  the 
first  school  for  idiots  in  this  country.  A  physician,  Dr.  Frederick 
F.  Backus,  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  then  a  member  of  the  New  York 
Senate,  became  interested  in  Dr.  Wilbur's  work  in  Massachusetts 
and  succeeded  in  having  the  state  open  an  experimental  school  at 
Albany  in  185 1.  Dr.  Wilbur  was  called  to  the  charge  of  it,  and  in 
1854  it  was  made  a  permanent  charity  of  the  state  under  his  care 
and  removed  to  Syracuse. 

He  died  suddenly  on  May  i,  1883,  of  rupture  of  the  heart. 

A  tablet  in  the  wall  of  the  main  building  of  the  New  York  State 
Institution  for  the  Feeble-minded  says : 

The  first  in  America  to  attempt  the  education  of  the  feeble-minded,  and 
the  first  superintendent  of  this  asylum.  By  his  wisdom,  zeal,  and  humanity 
he  secured  its  permanent  establishment. 

DR.  JAMES  WARREN  WILKIE. 

Dr.  James  Warren  Wilkie,  superintendent  of  the  Asylum  for 
Insane  Criminals,  at  Auburn,  died  on  the  13th  of  March,  of 
organic  disease  of  the  heart.    He  was  born  at  Manlius,  Onondaga 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE   UNITED   STATES  529 

County,  N.  Y.,  July  7,  1825,  and  died  in  1874.  He  studied  medi- 
cine with  Drs.  Moore  and  Taylor,  of  that  village,  and  attended 
lectures  at  the  Albany  Medical  College,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1847.  He  began  the  practice  of  medicine  at  Sandy  Hill, 
Washington  County,  and  in  1852  removed  to  Auburn,  where  he 
continued  his  professional  labors.  In  1870  he  was  appointed  super- 
intendent of  the  asylum,  and  continued  in  that  position  until 
his  death.  He  was  a  member  of  the  State  Medical  Society,  and 
had  been  the  president  of  the  Cayuga  County  Medical  Society. 
In  1872  he  received  the  honorary  degree  of  A.  M.  from  Middle- 
bury  College.  This  is  the  record  of  his  honors,  but  it  gives  us 
little  knowledge  of  the  man.  He  was  as  generous  of  heart  as 
he  was  large  of  stature,  and  endeared  himself  to  his  patients  and 
friends  in  a  peculiar  manner.  There  was  a  combination  of  quali- 
ties in  him  which  drew  forth  the  love  and  respect  of  all  with 
whom  he  came  in  contact.  His  medical  brethren  bear  testimony 
to  his  kindness,  manliness,  and  uniform  courtesy.  The  Christian 
religion  was  the  foundation  of  his  symmetrical  life  and  character. 
He  was  governed  by  its  precepts,  and  made  it  the  guide  of  his 
daily  life.  As  a  public  officer,  he  discharged  his  duties  with 
scrupulous  fidelity.  His  economy  in  expenditure  of  the  funds 
entrusted  to  him,  and  his  exactness  in  accounting  for  their  faith- 
ful use  were  marked  traits  of  his  official  life. 

DR.  E.  T.  WILKINS. 

Dr.  Edmund  Taylor  Wilkins,  who  died  of  influenza  February 
10,  1891,  was  born  in  Montgomery  County,  Tenn.,  October  20, 
1824,  and  was  the  son  of  Dr.  Benjamin  and  Jane  Taylor  Wilkins. 

He  received  his  collegiate  education  at  William  and  Mary  Col- 
lege, founded  in  1692  at  Williamsburg,  the  early  capital  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  graduated  in  1844.  After  leaving  college  he  was  en- 
gaged for  several  years  in  raising  cotton  in  Mississippi  and 
Louisiana,  and  afterwards  conducted  a  sugar  plantation  in  the 
latter  state. 

Upon  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California  he  took  passage,  in 
March,  1849,  o^  the  schooner  St.  Mary  from  New  York  for  the 
Pacific  Coast,  by  way  of  Cape  Horn. 


530  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

After  a  tedious  voyage,  filled  with  irritating  delays  and  great 
peril,  extending  over  a  period  of  nearly  a  year,  the  small  craft 
cast  anchor  in  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco. 

His  first  effort  at  mining  was  an  attempt  to  turn  the  Trinity 
River  from  its  course  by  a  dam,  constructed  of  sand-bags.  This 
proved  unsuccessful,  and  after  he  had  spent  the  summer  and  all 
his  available  means  in  a  fruitless  effort  to  compel  the  river  to 
"  give  up  its  hidden  treasure,"  he  abandoned  the  mines  and  the 
occupation  of  mining  forever. 

In  1853  he  returned  to  Tennessee  and  attended  one  course  of 
medical  lectures  at  the  Memphis  Medical  College,  after  which  he 
sold  his  sugar  plantation  in  Louisiana  and,  returning  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1854,  purchased  land  in  Yuba  County,  near  Marysville, 
and  turned  his  attention  to  farming. 

Finding  farming  unprofitable,  he  took  a  second  course  in  the 
Memphis  Medical  College,  where  he  graduated  in  1861.  On  re- 
turning to  California  he  left  his  farm  and  made  his  residence  in 
Marysville,  then  the  most  flourishing  inland  town  of  the  state, 
and  devoted  himself  to  the  study  and  practise  of  medicine,  giving 
special  attention  to  the  subject  of  insanity. 

When  the  Legislature  of  1870  authorized  the  Governor  to  ap- 
point a  commissioner  to  compile  all  accessible  information  as  to 
the  construction  and  management  of  asylums  and  the  modes  of 
treating  the  insane,  he  was  chosen  for  that  important  mission, 
and  entered  at  once  upon  it.  He  visited  50  of  the  principal  insti- 
tutions in  the  United  States  and  Canada,  and  crossing  the  Atlantic 
spent  the  greater  part  of  two  years  in  travel,  during  which  he 
inspected  about  100  asylums  in  Great  Britain  and  on  the  Continent 
of  Europe.  The  results  of  this  mission  are  embodied  in  his  report 
made  to  the  Executive  Department  upon  his  return  to  California, 
which  was  published  and  distributed  to  the  various  public  institu- 
tions and  to  many  individuals  throughout  the  United  States,  be- 
cause it  contained  many  valuable  charts  and  plans  and  specifica- 
tions of  the  best  asylum  buildings  then  in  existence  or  in  course 
of  construction,  and  also  much  important  information  gathered 
through  interviews  with  distinguished  alienists  in  Europe  and 
America  as  to  current  methods  of  treating  and  managing  the 
insane. 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  53 1 

In  view  of  the  experiences  and  observations  thus  obtained  Dr. 
Wilkins  was  selected  one  of  the  commission  to  find  a  site  and  to 
prepare  plans  for  the  additional  asylum  provided  by  the  Legisla- 
ture of  1872,  and  in  the  following  year,  with  his  confreres,  located 
the  Napa  State  Asylum  for  the  Insane. 

He  was  elected  resident  physician  of  the  Napa  Asylum  in 
March,  1876,  and  had  he  lived  a  few  days  longer  would  have  com- 
pleted his  15th  year  as  its  superintendent. 

FREDERICK  HOWARD  WINES. 

Frederick  Howard  Wines,  LL.  D.,  was  born  in  the  City  of 
Philadelphia,  April  9,  1838.  His  father,  the  Rev.  Dr.  E.  C.  Wines, 
was  a  teacher  and  college  professor,  an  author  and  a  philan- 
thropist of  international  reputation.  His  early  life  was  spent 
partly  in  New  York,  New  Jersey  and  New  England.  He  was 
graduated  from  Washington  College  (now  Washington  and  Jef- 
ferson), Pennsylvania,  in  1857,  with  the  highest  honors  of  his 
class.  In  the  autumn  of  1858  he  entered  Princeton  Theological 
Seminary  as  a  student  of  divinity.  His  studies  were  twice  inter- 
rupted ;  first  by  an  affection  of  the  eyes  and  afterward  by  the 
Civil  War.  Having  been  ordered  by  an  oculist  to  take  a  year's 
rest,  he  spent  the  summer  of  1869  in  Southwest  Missouri,  in  the 
service  of  the  American  Sunday  School  Union,  with  headquar- 
ters at  Springfield,  and  during  the  following  winter  was  acting 
as  stated  supply  of  a  mission  church  there,  when  the  outbreak 
of  the  Civil  War  occurred  in  the  spring  of  1861.  His  parents 
were  then  residents  of  St.  Louis,  whither  he  returned  in  time  to 
be  an  eye-witness  of  the  stirring  scenes  described  in  "  The  Crisis." 

It  was  his  desire  to  enter  the  army,  in  which  more  than  one 
position  was  offered  to  him,  but  his  parents  refused  their  consent 
until  a  year  later,  when  he  was  commissioned  by  President  Lin- 
coln as  a  hospital  chaplain  and  assigned  to  duty  at  Springfield, 
Mo.,  where  he  served  for  more  than  two  years  without  transfer, 
and  participated  in  the  "  Marmaduke  fight,"  January  8,  1863,  the 
official  report  of  which  mentions  him  as  having  acted  with  con- 
spicuous bravery  on  the  field. 

He  resigned  this  chaplaincy  to  complete  his  course  at  Prince- 
ton, where  he  was  graduated  in  1865.    He  was  then  called  to  the 


532  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF    THE   INSAlfE 

pastorate  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Springfield,  111.,  in 
which  he  preached  his  trial  sermon  on  the  Sunday  preceding  the 
funeral  of  President  Lincoln,  whose  pew  was  draped  in  black  on 
that  memorable  occasion.  He  remained  there  for  four  years 
wnth  entire  satisfaction  to  the  congregation  and  to  the  com- 
munity; but  in  1869  the  General  Assembly  of  Illinois  created  a 
new  commission  to  take  general  supervision  of  the  state  chari- 
table institutions,  entitled  ''  The  State  Board  of  Public  Charities." 
In  casting  around  for  a  secretary,  the  commission,  unsought, 
selected  young  j\Ir.  Wines,  who  was  then  regarded  as  the  best 
fitted  man  for  the  place  on  account  of  his  heredity,  his  experience 
and  his  known  interest  in  public  aiTairs.  He  held  this  secretary- 
ship for  nearl}^  30  years,  during  all  changes  of  state  administra- 
tion, with  the  single  exception  of  four  years,  during  which  an 
opposing  political  party,  under  the  leadership  of  Governor  Altgeld, 
held  the  reins  of  power.  The  admitted  excellence  of  the  Illinois 
system  of  public  charities  is  partly  due  to  the  wise  and  dis- 
interested counsel  and  personal  influence  of  Dr.  Wines.  He  was 
the  principal  author  of  the  statute  passed  for  its  government  in 
1875,  which  did  not  require  amendment  in  any  important  par- 
ticular during  the  many  years  it  was  in  operation.  During  the 
entire  period  of  his  official  career  the  breath  of  scandal  never 
touched  him  or  any  of  the  institutions  under  his  charge.  The 
Illinois  Board  of  Public  Charities  was  one  of  the  pioneer  com- 
missions of  its  class,  and  Mr.  Wines  had  the  difficult  task  of 
defining  the  policy  of  the  state  toward  the  unfortunate  and 
criminal  elements  of  its  population,  not  for  his  own  state  alone, 
but  for  the  entire  country,  which  he  did  in  a  series  of  official 
reports  which  attracted  wide  attention  and  had  an  unusual  number 
of  interested  readers.  He  was  also  one  of  the  principal  movers  in 
the  organization  of  the  National  Conference  of  Charities  and  Cor- 
rection. He  organized  its  first  independent  meeting  in  Chicago  in 
1879,  and  presided  over  its  deliberations  at  Louisville  in  1883.  Its 
published  proceedings  contain  many  original  contributions  from 
his  ready  pen. 

He  was  sent  as  an  official  delegate  from  the  State  of  Illinois  to 
the  Second  International  Penitentiary  Congress  at  Stockholm  in 
1878.  For  three  years,  1887  to  1890,  he  served  as  secretary  of  the 
National  Prison  Association.    He  was  elected  an  honorarv  mem- 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE   UNITED   STATES  533 

ber  of  the  Prison  Association  of  France,  and  was  invited  by  the 
Russian  Government  to  deliver  one  of  the  principal  addresses  at 
the  International  Penitentiary  Congress  at  St.  Petersburg,  but  was 
unable  to  attend.  Later  he  was  the  author  of  a  popular  work  on 
the  prison  question,  entitled  "  Punishment  and  Reformation," 
which  is  in  use  as  a  text-book  in  various  institutions  of  learning 
in  this  country. 

He  was  also  deeply  interested  in  the  care  and  treatment  of  the 
insane,  and  it  is  to  his  courage  as  an  innovator  that  the  creation 
of  the  Kankakee  State  Hospital  is  due,  the  first  establishment  of 
its  kind  erected  and  organized  on  the  "  detached  ward  plan,"  which 
has  since  been  adopted  by  many  states  and  by  the  federal  govern- 
ment in  its  great  hospital  at  the  national  capital. 

He  was  the  author  of  the  amended  lunacy  law  of  the  State  of 
Illinois,  and  did  much  to  clear  up  the  more  or  less  mysterious  dis- 
putes between  the  legal  and  medical  professions  as  to  their  re- 
spective relations  in  the  commitment  of  the  insane  to  curative  and 
custodial  institutions,  thus  rendering  a  material  service  to  the 
science  of  medical  jurisprudence. 

His  expert  familiarity  with  benevolent  and  reformatory  work  in 
all  the  varied  fields  of  philanthropic  effort  led  to  his  selection  as 
expert  special  agent  of  the  Tenth  U.  S.  Census  for  the  collection 
and  collation  of  statistics  relating  to  the  "  defective,  dependent  and 
delinquent  classes  "  of  the  population,  and  again  in  1900  to  "  crime, 
pauperism  and  benevolence."  His  skill  and  success  in  dealing 
with  these  tasks  were  the  occasion  of  his  appointment  by  President 
McKinley  as  assistant  director  of  the  Twelfth  Census  and  his 
subsequent  removal  from  Illinois  to  Washington,  D.  C.  In  the 
organization  of  that  census  he  took  a  prominent  part,  and  many 
of  its  novel  features  were  his  suggestions.  In  connection  with  the 
World's  Fair  at  Chicago  in  1893  a  series  of  international  con- 
gresses was  held,  one  of  which  was  an  International  Congress  of 
Charities  and  Correction,  of  which  Ex-President  Rutherford  B. 
Hayes  was  president  and  he  was  first  vice-president ;  but,  owing  to 
the  death  of  President  Hayes,  the  organization  of  this  congress 
devolved  on  Dr.  Wines,  who  presided  over  it. 

During  the  administration  of  Governor  Altgeld,  while  out  of 
office  Dr.  Wines  was  invited  to  deliver  various  courses  of  lectures ; 
one  before  the  students  of  Princeton  Theological  Seminary  on 


534  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE    OF    THE   INSANE 

"  The  Church  of  the  World,  or  Thoughts  on  Christian  Sociol- 
ogy " ;  one  at  The  Johns  Hopkins  University,  repeated  at  Harvard 
and  at  the  University  of  Indiana,  on  "  Social  Classes  and  Social 
Evils,"  and  one  at  the  State  University  of  Wisconsin  on  "  History 
and  Philosophy  of  Prison  Reform,"  afterwards  delivered  in  re- 
vised form  before  the  Lowell  Institute  of  Boston. 

He  also  spent  nearly  a  year  in  a  special  investigation  of  the 
practical  operation  of  the  liquor  legislation  of  Missouri,  Iowa, 
Indiana  and  Ohio,  for  the  committee  of  50,  of  which  he  was  a 
member ;  the  results  of  this  inquiry  were  embodied  in  a  volume 
entitled  "  The  Liquor  Problem  in  its  Legislative  Aspects,"  of 
which,  jointly  with  Mr.  John  Koren,  Dr.  Wines  was  author. 

When  the  Republican  party  returned  to  power  in  Illinois  in  1896 
Dr.  Wines  was  at  once  called  back  to  fill  his  old  position  as  secre- 
tary of  the  Board  of  Charities.  Here  he  served  about  two  years, 
when  he  was  honored  by  appointments  in  the  Census  Department, 
which  took  him  from  Springfield.  He  lived  in  Washington  and 
later  in  North  Carolina  until  late  in  1909,  when  the  new  charity 
act  of  Illinois  was  about  to  become  effective.  Those  interested  in 
the  success  of  the  new  plan  suggested  that  Dr.  Wines  be  invited 
to  a  responsible  position  in  the  organization.  He  accepted  the 
position  of  statistician  and  at  once  started  the  publication  of  the 
Institute  Quarterly.  This  journal  commanded  favor  throughout 
the  countr>'. 

In  1887  he  established  The  International  Record  of  Charities  and 
Correction,  which  survived  for  nearly  three  years  before  it  was 
discontinued  for  want  of  adequate  support.  He  afterwards  edited 
for  one  year  The  Charities  Review,  printed  in  New  York. 

This  notice  of  his  public  career  would  be  incomplete  without  a 
reference  to  his  services  during  the  administration  of  Governor 
Fifer,  in  adjusting  the  differences  between  the  coal  miners  of 
Northern  Illinois  and  their  employers,  and  to  his  official  reports 
on  the  floods  in  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers. 

He  died  suddenly  at  his  home  in  Springfield,  111.,  January  31, 
1912. 

DR.  FREDERIC  C.  WINSLOW. 
Frederic  C.  Winslow,  M.  D.,  a  graduate  of  the  Northwestern 
University  Medical  School,  1874,  died  suddenly  in  Chicago,  Octo- 
ber ID,  1901.    After  his  graduation  he  practiced  in  Jacksonville, 


e"  ': 


FREDERICK    HOWARD    WINES. 


41 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE   UNITED   STATES  535 

111.,  and  was  for  i8  years  assistant  superintendent  of  the  Central 
Hospital  for  the  Insane  at  that  place.  After  leaving  that  position 
he  conducted  a  private  sanitarium  until  appointed  by  Governor 
Tanner  superintendent  of  the  State  Hospital.  Governor  Yates 
later  appointed  him  superintendent  of  the  Hospital  for  the  In- 
curable Insane,  Bartonville,  near  Peoria.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  American  Medico-Psychological  Association  and  of  the  Amer- 
ican Medical  Association. 

DR.  PETER  M.  WISE. 

Peter  M.  Wise  was  born  at  Clarence,  N.  Y.,  March  7,  185 1.  His 
early  education  was  obtained  in  the  district  school  and  at  Packer 
Classical  Institute,  but  his  design  to  prepare  for  college  was  frus- 
trated by  the  death  of  his  father.  In  1869  he  began  the  study  of 
medicine  with  Dr.  O.  L.  Parker,  of  Clarence,  and  later  attended 
medical  courses  at  the  Albany  Medical  College  and  the  University 
of  Buffalo,  graduating  from  the  latter  institution  in  1872.  He 
served  nine  months  in  the  St.  Louis  City  Hospital  and  later  as 
city  physician  during  an  epidemic  of  smallpox.  Afterwards  he 
practised  medicine  in  a  suburb  of  Buffalo  for  a  short  time,  but 
was  appointed  in  October,  1873,  an  assistant  physician  at  the  Wil- 
lard  Asylum.  In  1883  he  was  appointed  first  assistant  physician 
and  a  year  later,  upon  the  resignation  and  removal  to  Philadelphia 
of  Dr.  Chapin,  he  was  made  superintendent.  In  1886  he  was 
appointed  upon  a  comrnission  to  locate  a  new  hospital  for  the 
insane  in  Northern  New  York,  and  after  the  location  had  been 
selected  at  Ogdensburg  he  was  selected  to  prepare  plans  for  the 
hospital.  In  1890  he  was  made  medical  superintendent  of  the 
Ogdensburg  State  Hospital  upon  its  completion,  and  held  the  posi- 
tion until  1896,  when  he  was  made  president  of  the  State  Com- 
mission in  Lunacy  by  Governor  Morton,  to  succeed  Dr.  Carlos 
F.  MacDonald. 

In  1900  he  was  removed  summarily  from  office  by  Governor 
Roosevelt  because  of  alleged  improprieties  in  selling  stock  of  a 
mining  company  of  which  he  was  president  to  assistant  medical 
officers  in  the  various  hospitals  and  in  permitting  a  private  cor- 
poration to  erect  an  ice-making  plant  on  the  grounds  of  the  Man- 
hattan State  Hospital.    He  vigorously  denied  the  charges,  but  was 


536  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

unjustly  deprived  of  the  opportunity  to  be  heard  in  his  own 
defence.  The  blow  was  a  severe  one  from  which  he  never 
recovered.  He  engaged  in  several  private  enterprises  thereafter 
in  New  York,  but  was  not  prosperous.  He  died  September  22, 
1907. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Seneca  County  Medical  Society  and  its 
president;  also  of  the  Medical  Society  of  New  York,  and  of  the 
American  Medico-Psychological  Association,  and  its  president  in 
1 899- 1900.  He  wrote  easily  and  clearly  and  was  the  author  of 
many  papers  published  in  The  American  Journal  of  Insanity,  The 
Alienist  and  Neurologist,  and  other  medical  journals.  He  also 
published  a  "  Text -book  for  Training  Schools  for  Nurses  "  in  two 
volumes.  He  was  an  excellent  administrator  and  made  many  im- 
provements in  the  methods  of  practical  psychiatry. 

DR.  ABRAM  HARMAN  WITMER. 

Dr.  Abram  Harman  Witmer  was  of  Quaker  descent,  and  born 
in  Lancaster  County,  Pa.,  April  10,  1845.  He  was  the  son  of 
Abram  Witmer  and  Susan  Newcomer  Witmer,  the  youngest  of 
five  children.  He  began  his  education  in  a  local  academy  and 
subsequently  pursued  his  studies  in  an  academy  at  Wilmington, 
Del.  He  entered  upon  the  study  of  medicine  in  1863  at  Mt.  Joy, 
Pa.,  under  Dr.  Benjamin  H.  Musser.  In  the  same  year  he  at- 
tended his  first  course  of  lectures  at  Jefferson  Medical  College. 
He  graduated  in  medicine  at  Jefferson  in  March,  1866,  before  the 
age  of  21  years,  and  for  a  year  remained  at  the  college  as  a 
private  quiz  master,  and  as  demonstrator  of  anatomy,  a  position 
which  he  occupied  for  several  years.  He  afterwards  became 
demonstrator  of  anatomy  in  the  medical  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania.  In  1870  he  was  appointed  resident  phy- 
sician of  the  department  for  the  insane  in  the  Philadelphia  Alms- 
house, where,  as  an  assistant  to  Dr.  D.  D.  Richardson,  he  remained 
a  number  of  years. 

In  September,  1876,  he  was  appointed  third  assistant  physician 
at  the  Government  Hospital  in  Washington.  Until  his  death,  Jan- 
uary 18,  1900,  he  remained  an  ofiicer  of  this  institution,  growing 
in  the  confidence  and  respect  of  his  associates,  and  of  the  public 
at  large.  During  the  administration  of  Dr.  Godding  he  became 
first  assistant  physician. 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  537 

February  14,  1891,  Dr.  Witmer  was  elected  professor  of  mental 
diseases  in  Georgetown  College,  and  held  the  chair  until  his  death. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Medical  Society  of  the  District  of 
Columbia;  of  the  American  Medical  Association;  of  the  American 
Medico-Psychological  Association,  and  of  the  National  Geographic 
Society. 

On  the  death  of  Dr.  Godding,  the  Board  of  Visitors  turned  to 
Dr.  Witmer  as  one  best  fitted  to  assume  the  administration  of  the 
hospital,  and  to  carry  forward  the  work  which  had  so  suddenly 
dropped  from  the  hands  of  his  chief.  Upon  the  recommendation 
of  the  board  he  was  appointed  acting  superintendent,  and  dis- 
charged the  duties  of  the  position  efficiently  for  a  period  of  six 
months,  until  Dr.  A,  B.  Richardson  was  appointed  superintendent. 
Dr.  Witmer,  by  reason  of  his  long  experience  and  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  the  needs  of  the  hospital,  rendered  a  valuable  service,  most 
creditable  to  himself  and  acceptable  and  satisfactory  to  all. 

The  physical  strain  of  this  arduous  service  proved  too  great  for 
his  strength,  and  soon  after  he  relinquished  the  duties  of  acting 
superintendent  his  final  illness  commenced.  He  slowly  failed  in 
bodily  strength  and  died  January  i8,  1900. 

DR.  H.  WALTON  WOOD. 

Dr.  H.  Walton  Wood  died  at  Jefferson  Hospital,  Philadelphia, 
Pa.,  January  12,  1915,  after  an  illn^yss  of  two  years.  He  was  born  at 
Spring  Garden,  Va.,  in  1879.  At  an  early  age  he  removed  with 
his  parents  to  Baltimore,  where  he  remained  until  1902.  He  re- 
ceived his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Baltimore  and 
at  the  Polytechnic  Institute  and  later  at  Deichmann's  School, 
where  he  prepared  for  the  university.  He  was  graduated  from  the 
University  of  Maryland  School  of  Medicine  in  1902,  and  later 
received  an  appointment  at  the  Worcester  State  Hospital,  Massa- 
chusetts, where  he  remained  for  a  year.  He  was  assistant  physician 
at  the  Taunton  State  Hospital,  Massachusetts,  from  1903  to  1904, 
when  he  entered  private  practice  at  Fairhaven,  Mass.  He  was 
successful  in  private  practice  and  remained  at  Fairhaven  until 
191 1.  His  early  experience  in  the  Worcester  State  Hospital  had 
developed  an  interest  in  nervous  and  mental  diseases,  and  in  1911 
he  went  abroad  to  prepare  himself  more  thoroughly  to  follow  this 
branch  of  medicine. 


538  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

When  he  returned  from  abroad  he  became  associated  with  Dr. 
Stedman  of  Bournewood,  Brookline,  Mass.,  and  later  settled  in 
Boston,  where  he  practised  exclusively  in  nervous  and  mental  dis- 
eases. After  a  year  in  Boston,  he  settled  in  New  Bedford,  Mass., 
in  general  practice,  but  devoted  much  time  to  nervous  and  mental 
cases  and  medico-legal  work. 

He  was  affable  and  genial  and  possessed  a  pleasing  personality. 
He  was  an  untiring  worker  and  his  final  illness  may  be  ascribed 
to  his  excessive  zeal  for  his  patients.  During  191 3  he  developed 
a  tubercular  lesion  of  the  throat,  and  though  advised  to  give  up 
work  he  continued  his  practice  for  six  months  longer.  He  was 
finally  compelled  to  retire  and  the  last  months  of  his  life  were 
spent  at  Saranac  Lake  and  at  Browns  Mills  in  the  Pines,  N.  J. 

DR.  SAMUEL  BAYARD  WOODWARD. 

Samuel  Bayard  Woodward,  the  son  of  a  physician  and  a  native 
of  Connecticut,  was  born  June  10,  1787,  and  licensed  to  practice 
medicine  at  the  age  of  21.  His  attention  was  called  to  the  study 
of  mental  diseases  by  the  occurrence  of  several  cases  of  insanity  in 
his  own  practice  and  in  that  of  his  professional  brethren  whose 
adviser  he  was.  The  difficulty  of  managing  these  cases  in  private 
practice  led  Dr.  Woodward  and  his  particular  friend,  Dr.  Eli 
Todd,  to  take  the  first  step  towards  the  establishment  of  the  Hart- 
ford Retreat,  and  he  took  credit  to  himself  for  having  secured  its 
present  delightful  location.  He  was  appointed  superintendent  of 
the  State  Lunatic  Hospital  at  Worcester,  Mass.,  in  September, 
1832,  and  in  December  following  moved  into  the  hospital  as  soon 
as  rooms  could  be  finished  and  furnished  for  his  family.  He 
retired  on  June  30,  1846,  on  account  of  failing  health,  and  settled 
in  Northampton,  Mass.,  where  he  died  suddenly  on  the  evening  of 
January  3,  1850. 

His  personal  appearance  was  commanding  and  his  carriage 
majestic.  His  hair  was  almost  white.  He  had  a  bright,  animated 
expression  of  countenance,  and  large,  handsome  features,  and 
made  a  strong  impression  by  his  earnest  manner.  His  stature 
was  six  feet  two  and  a  half  inches,  and  his  weight  was  about  260 
pounds.  He  was  erect,  and  though  full  in  figure,  his  motions  were 
quick  and  graceful.    Although  affable,  civil  and  accessible  to  all, 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES  539 

he  seemed  born  to  command.  Dignity  and  ever-enduring  cheer- 
fulness sat  upon  his  countenance  and  betokened  the  serenity  and 
happy  state  of  his  mind.  Of  an  ardent,  enthusiastic  temperament, 
he  exerted  by  his  conversation  and  writings  a  wonderful  influence 
on  the  community  in  which  he  lived,  and  employed  his  full  powers 
for  many  years  for  the  benefit  of  the  insane. 

DR.  WILLIAM  LEONARD  WORCESTER. 

William  Leonard  Worcester,  M.  D.,  assistant  physician  and 
pathologist  at  the  Danvers  Insane  Hospital,  Mass.,  died  June  9, 
1901. 

He  was  born  in  1845  ^^  Chelsea,  Vt.  His  paternal  grandfather 
was  a  clergyman,  the  Rev.  Leonard  Worcester,  of  Peacham.  His 
father  was  a  physician,  who,  soon  after  the  birth  of  his  son, 
removed  to  Thetford. 

He  was  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  nine  children.  He  acquired 
his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  and  at  Thetford  Acad- 
emy. He  entered  Dartmouth  College  and  graduated  in  1869, 
ranking  second  in  his  class.  He  went  next  to  Washington,  D.  C, 
where  he  had  received  an  appointment  as  clerk  of  the  Senate  Com- 
mittee on  Pensions.  While  filling  this  position  he  engaged  in  the 
study  of  medicine  at  Columbia  Medical  College  and  obtained  his 
degree  in  1873.  He  received  an  appointment  in  the  Pension 
Bureau,  and  soon  became  first  assistant  medical  examiner.  In 
1875  he  went  abroad  for  the  further  study  of  medicine. 

Returning  in  1876,  he  engaged  for  two  years  in  general  prac- 
tice in  Burlington,  Vt.  Relinquishing  this  he  became  assistant 
physician  at  the  Michigan  Asylum  at  Kalamazoo,  and  remained 
for  II  years.  He  was  then  appointed  first  assistant  physician  and 
pathologist  to  the  State  Asylum  at  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  where  he 
remained  for  six  years. 

While  an  assistant  in  these  hospitals  he  began  the  study  of 
pathology,  especially  the  pathology  of  insanity;  and  his  thorough 
equipment  in  this  branch  of  medicine  secured  for  him  the  appoint- 
ment of  assistant  physician  and  pathologist  to  the  Danvers  Insane 
Hospital  in  1895,  which  position  he  ably  filled  until  the  time  of 
his  death. 

Four  years  before  he  infected  a  finger  of  his  left  hand  with 
tuberculosis  while  engaged  in  laboratory  work.     Insidiously  the 


540  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

disease  increased.  He  consulted  the  most  eminent  men  in  the 
country.  He  was  advised  to  have  the  hand  amputated  at  once. 
After  mature  deliberation  he  decided  that  he  preferred  to  live  a 
few  years  with  both  hands  than  more  years  with  but  a  single  one. 
This  disease  had  been  slowly  but  surely  advancing  in  the  left  hand 
during  three  years,  but  he  was  never  heard  to  utter  a  word  of 
complaint  at  his  seeming  fate. 

Ten  days  before  his  death,  while  apparently  in  good  health,  he 
infected  a  finger  of  the  right  hand,  undoubtedly  while  engaged  in 
his  researches  in  the  laboratory.  On  the  following  day  serious 
symptoms  manifested  themselves  and  his  disease  rapidly  pro- 
gressed to  a  fatal  termination.  Until  within  a  few  moments  of  his 
death  Dr.  Worcester  followed  his  own  case  apparently  with  nearly 
the  same  watchfulness  as  his  consultants.  He  looked  upon  ap- 
proaching death  with  perfect  calmness.  He  gave  directions  for  the 
disposal  of  his  valuable  library,  and  arranged  other  matters. 

As  a  psychiatrist  he  ranked  with  the  best  known  of  our  country. 
As  a  pathologist,  he  was  an  expert.  As  a  writer  upon  psychiatry, 
he  was  an  authority. 

Personally,  Dr.  Worcester  did  not  win  by  the  first  impression 
which  he  produced  upon  strangers.  He  was  not  easily  approach- 
able, but  association  with  him  revealed  a  warmth  and  responsive- 
ness in  his  nature  which  showed  him  to  be  a  true  nobleman  in 
integrity  of  life  and  character. 

He  never  married.  He  led  a  life  of  unselfishness  and  devotion 
to  his  special  field,  and  his  death,  in  the  estimation  of  all  who  knew 
him  and  his  life  work,  left  a  great  void  in  psychiatry. 

DR.  JOSHUA  HUSBAND  WORTHINGTON. 

Joshua  Husband  Worthington,  of  Frankford,  Philadelphia,  Pa., 
was  born  in  Darlington,  Harford  County,  Md.,  August  8,  1817. 
His  father  was  a  prominent  physician  and  member  of  the  Society 
of  Friends.  He  received  his  medical  education  at  the  Jefferson 
Medical  College,  whence  he  graduated  in  1838.  He  remained  in 
his  native  county  for  four  years  in  practice  with  his  father,  and 
afterwards  removed  to  Frankford.  In  1842  he  was  made  resident 
physician  of  Friends'  Asylum  near  Frankford,  and  in  1850  was 
appointed  superintendent  of  the  same  institution.    He  was  a  mem- 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE   UNITED   STATES  541 

ber  of  the  Association  of  Medical  Superintendents  of  American 
Institutions  for  the  Insane,  and  a  permanent  member  of  the  Ameri- 
can Medical  Association.  He  was  also  at  one  time  a  member  of 
the  Northern  Medical  Association  of  Philadelphia ;  of  the  State 
Medical  Society  of  Pennsylvania ;  and  of  the  Philadelphia  County 
Medical  Society,  of  which  he  was  vice-president  in  1859.  He  pub- 
lished various  articles  in  The  American  Journal  of  Insanity,  also 
in  The  American  Journal  of  Medical  Sciences  of  Philadelphia.  In 
connection  with  Dr.  Charles  Evans,  from  1843  to  1850  he  published 
eight  of  the  reports  of  the  asylum ;  since  that  time  until  his  retire- 
ment he  was  the  sole  author  of  these  publications.  In  i860  he 
married  Mary  M.  Kimber,  of  Philadelphia,  and,  after  her  death, 
Sarah,  daughter  of  Stacy  B.  Collins,  Esq.,  of  New  York  City.  He 
resigned  in  1877  ^"d  made  his  home  first  in  Baltimore  and  later 
in  Germantown,  Pa.    He  died  December  27,  1885,  in  his  69th  year. 

DR.  CHARLES  E.  WRIGHT. 

Dr.  Charles  E.  Wright,  late  superintendent  of  the  Central  Indi- 
ana Hospital  for  Insane,  at  Indianapolis,  died  at  the  hospital 
February  22,  1893,  from  an  intestinal  hemorrhage.  For  some 
years  he  had  suffered  from  cardiac  trouble,  and  a  few  months 
before  his  last  illness  had  a  similar  attack,  brought  on  by  violent 
muscular  eflfort  in  endeavoring  to  restrain  a  patient  whom  he  dis- 
covered, on  entering  a  ward,  to  be  making  a  furious  attack  upon 
an  attendant.  Until  within  ten  days,  however,  previous  to  his  death 
he  endeavored  to  faithfully  perform  the  arduous  duties  involved 
in  the  superintendency  of  an  institution  containing  a  population 
of  nearly  2000  people. 

He  was  born  November  i,  1843,  in  Indianapolis.  While  a  mere 
youth  he  volunteered  as  a  private  soldier  in  the  Civil  War  and 
served  with  credit.  Upon  his  return  he  became  a  student  of 
Asbury  (now  DePau)  University  at  Greencastle.  At  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  sophomore  year,  he  left  the  institution  and  matriculated 
in  the  Ohio  Medical  College,  where  he  graduated  in  1868.  Re- 
turning to  Indianapolis,  he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
making  a  specialty  of  diseases  of  the  eye,  ear  and  nose,  soon 
attaining  a  lucrative  practice  and  professional  distinction.  He  was 
for  some  time  editor  of  the  Indiana  Medical  Journal.    Later,  feel- 


542  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

ing  the  effect  of  persistent  confinement  incidental  to  special  work, 
he  engaged  in  general  practice  also,  and  was  a  successful,  popular, 
efficient  practitioner  in  medicine  and  surgery.  At  the  same  time 
he  entered  the  field  of  teaching  and  filled  various  chairs  in  the 
Medical  College  of  Indiana  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He 
was  the  oldest  member  of  the  faculty  and  one  of  the  most  popular. 
In  addition  he  filled  professorships  in  the  medical  department  of 
Butler  University.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Indiana  State  Medical 
Society  and  of  the  Marion  County  Medical  Society ;  was  frequently 
a  delegate  to  the  American  Medical  Association.  His  contributions 
to  current  medical  literature  were  frequent  and  valuable,  being 
admirable  from  a  literary  as  well  as  a  medical  view-point.  For 
four  years  he  was  physician  of  the  State  School  for  the  Blind ; 
for  eight  years  Surgeon  General  of  the  State  Militia ;  for  two  years 
president  of  the  Indianapolis  Board  of  Health.  He  also  was  a 
member  of  the  staff  of  St.  John's  Home  for  Invalids,  and  as  chief 
of  staff  of  St.  Vincent's  Hospital.  Not  content  with  these  en- 
grossing occupations,  being  a  lover  of  agriculture  and  stock  breed- 
ing, he  purchased  a  valuable  stock  farm,  and  for  some  years  until 
the  time  of  his  death,  was  president  of  the  Indiana  Horse  Breeders' 
Association. 

DR.  RUFUS  WYMAN. 

Rufus  Wyman,  father  of  two  famous  sons,  both  physicians,  was 
born  in  Woburn,  Mass.,  July  i6,  1778;  was  graduated  from  Har- 
vard College  in  1799,  and  studied  medicine  under  Dr.  John  Jeffries 
of  Boston.  He  practised  medicine  in  Chelmsford,  Mass.,  and 
from  1818  to  1835  was  superintendent  of  McLean  Asylum,  re- 
signing on  account  of  ill  health.  He  died  in  Roxbury,  June  22, 
1842. 

He  was  president  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society,  and 
was  a  man  universally  beloved  and  respected.  Dr.  Luther  V. 
Bell,  one  of  the  most  renowned  of  his  successors  at  McLean 
Asylum,  says  of  him: 

Entering  on  his  duties  with  no  similar  undertaking  to  guide  him  in 
interior  arrangements  or  general  management,  the  weight  of  difficulty  and 
responsibility  which  necessarily  fell  upon  him  must  have  been  far  greater 
than  any  of  his  successors  in  such  trusts,  who  have  had  the  aids  of  his 
ingenuity  and  labor,  can  experience.    Indeed,  to  this  day  (1843)  scarce  any 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    THE   UNITED    STATES  543 

institution  can  be  visited  in  the  land  where  evidence  of  the  operations  of 
his  mind  do  not  present  themselves  on  every  hand,  not  only  in  details  of 
architectural  and  mechanical  arrangements,  but  in  the  moral  regimen  and 
internal  system.  What  is  due  to  his  memory  as  a  public  benefactor  in 
this  way  can  never  be  realized  or  appreciated  except  by  a  small  number 
whose  opportunities  and  duties  enabled  them  to  judge  of  the  difficulties 
he  encountered  and  the  means  he  projected  to  meet  them. 

Dr.  Bell  also  says  of  him: 

There  was  a  moral  beauty  in  his  character,  a  sterling  integrity  in  him 
as  a  director  of  a  public  institution,  which  may  well  serve  as  a  model  to 
all  who  may  be  called  upon  to  discharge  such  sacred  functions. 


PART  VI 

BIOGRAPHIES   IN   CANADA  AND 
NEWFOUNDLAND 


CHARLES  ALEXANDER. 

Charles  Alexander  was  born  in  Dundee,  Scotland,  June  13,  181 6, 
and  died  in  Montreal,  November  4,  1905.  Educated  at  the  Dun- 
dee Parochial  Grammar  School,  he  was  later  apprenticed  to  Keiller 
&  Sons,  the  well-known  marmalade  manufacturers,  with  whom  he 
secured  the  groundwork  of  his  knowledge  of  the  confectionery 
business  which  he  later  established  so  successfully  in  Montreal. 
In  1840  he  and  his  young  wife  decided  to  settle  in  Canada ;  they 
took  passage  on  the  ill-fated  "  Atlantic  "  which  ran  aground  at 
Torbay,  near  St.  Johns,  Newfoundland,  and  was  wrecked.  They 
escaped  with  their  lives,  but  lost  everything  else.  After  various 
vicissitudes  the  young  couple  settled  in  Montreal,  and  in  1842  he 
established  himself  in  business  in  that  city. 

He  always  took  the  greatest  interest  in  measures  for  the  relief 
of  human  suffering,  and  during  his  lengthy  and  useful  life  gave 
to  them  freely  of  his  time  and  energies.  The  list  of  the  charities  in 
which  he  took  an  active  part  was  long,  the  principal  ones  being 
the  Montreal  General  Hospital,  one  of  whose  governors  he  was 
from  i860  to  1900;  the  Mackay  Institute  for  Deaf  Mutes  and 
Blind,  of  which  he  was  president  for  many  years ;  the  Protestant 
House  of  Industry  and  Refuge,  of  which  he  was  successively 
president  from  1877  to  1900,  and  honorary  president  until  his 
death. 

He  was  also  one  of  the  leading  organizers  of  the  Protestant 
Hospital  for  Insane,  and  a  member  of  its  board  of  management 
from  the  time  of  its  inception,  being  one  of  the  original  board  of 
governors.  He  was  honorary  vice-president  at  the  time  of  his 
demise,  having  refused  the  presidency. 

The  following  tribute  to  his  memory  from  the  pen  of  an  old 
friend  well  describes  him  : 

As  was  justly  stated  by  one  of  the  leading  dailies,  "  Montreal's 
best  citizen  died  when  Charles  Alexander,  at  the  age  of  a  score  of 
years  beyond  man's  allotted  span,  passed  away."  His  life  history 
was  bound  up  with  the  progress  of  humanitarian  work  in  the  city 
of  Montreal.     Everything  that  had  for  its  object  the  prevention 


548  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE  OF   THE   INSANE 

and  amelioration  of  suffering-  and  everything  that  made  for  purity 
in  public  affairs  had  his  sympathy  and  support.  A  broad-minded 
Christian,  his  life  was  practically  devoted  to  the  good  of  his  fellow 
men,  and  he  knew  no  restrictions  of  race  or  creed  in  his  unselfish 
endeavors  for  the  betterment  of  mankind.  Few  are  more  worthy 
to  rank  with  such  well-known  philanthropists  as  Howard,  Wilber- 
force,  Peabody,  Tuke  and  Pinel. 

DR.  J.  J.  ANDERSON. 

Dr.  Anderson  was  born  in  the  township  of  South  Gower, 
Grenville  Co.,  Ont.,  in  1861.  His  primary  education  was  gained 
in  the  school  of  his  native  place,  while  his  professional  studies 
were  pursued  in  the  medical  department  of  Queen's  University, 
Kingston.  He  began  practice  with  his  uncle,  Dr.  W.  J.  Anderson, 
at  Smiths  Falls,  Ont.,  and  later  removed  to  Winchester  Springs. 
In  1890  he  settled  in  Manitoba.  He  lived  in  Wawanesa,  Man.,  for 
six  or  seven  years,  then  moved  to  Brandon  and  practiced  in  that 
city  until  September  i,  1903,  when  he  was  appointed  medical 
superintendent  of  Brandon  Asylum,  which  position  he  held  until 
October  31,  1909,  at  which  date  he  resigned  to  resume  private 
practice.    His  death  occurred  in  the  autumn  of  1912. 

DR.  JOHN  ARDAGH. 

Dr.  Ardagh  was  born  at  Water  ford,  Ireland,  in  18 10.  He  took 
his  degree  of  M.  D.  at  Edinburgh  University,  and  his  M.  R.  C.  S, 
in  England  in  1831.  He  then  engaged  in  practice  in  his  native 
place,  and  was  for  eight  years  physician  to  the  House  of  Industry 
and  the  Insane  Asylum  there.  In  1842  he  made  a  visit  to  Canada,, 
where  his  cousin,  the  Rev.  S.  B.  Ardagh  (first  rector  of  Barrie, 
Ont. ) ,  had  come  to  settle.  The  following  year  he  came  again  to 
Canada  and  settled  at  Orillia,  Ont.,  where  he  continued  to  practice 
until  his  death,  August  6,  1872.  He  experienced  all  the  hardships 
incident  to  the  practice  of  medicine  in  the  early  days  of  the  colony. 
He  was  no  stranger  to  long,  lonely  horseback  rides  through  a  thinly 
settled  country,  with  roads  at  times  almost  impassable,  and  in 
all  sorts  of  weather.  He  was  highly  esteemed  as  a  skilful  physi- 
cian, and  was  much  beloved,  especially  by  the  poor,  to  whom  in 
their  sickness  he  never  failed  to  pay  the  utmost  attention,  giving 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    CANADA   AND    NEWFOUNDLAND  549 

his  professional  services  gratuitously,  however  far  he  might  have 
to  travel  and  however  inclement  the  weather  might  be.  In  this 
way  he  became  known  in  the  country  as  the  "  poor  man's  doctor." 
For  some  years  he  was  medical  attendant  to  the  Indians  stationed 
on  the  reserve  at  Rama ;  and  when  the  branch  lunatic  asylum  was 
established  at  Orillia  in  August,  1861,  he  was  appointed  medical 
superintendent.  He  conducted  the  affairs  of  the  institution  with 
great  judgment  and  unremitting  attention  up  to  the  closure  of  the 
establishment  in  November,  1870,  owing  to  the  transfer  of  the 
patients  to  a  new  asylum  then  opened  at  London,  Ont. 

HUGH  BELL. 

Prominent  in  connection  with  the  inception  and  construction  of 
the  Nova  Scotia  Hospital  for  the  Insane  was  the  Hon.  Hugh  Bell, 
whose  interest  in  the  subject  was  first  aroused  when  he  acted  in 
the  capacity  of  commissioner  of  the  Poors'  Asylum  in  Halifax. 
Mr.  Bell  was  born  in  the  county  of  Fermanagh,  Ireland,  January 
12,  1780.  When  he  was  less  than  two  years  of  age  his  parents 
came  to  Halifcix,  and  very  soon  afterwards  his  father  died.  His 
mother  was  left  practically  without  means,  but  she  was  a  woman 
of  sterling  qualities,  and  her  ambition  to  give  her  boy  a  good  edu- 
cation was  made  comparatively  easy  of  realization  by  her  son's 
studious  and  thoughtful  disposition.  At  the  age  of  21  he  began 
teaching  school,  but  a  few  years  later  became  bookkeeper  for  a 
brewing  firm,  to  which  he  was  subsequently  admitted  as  a  partner, 
and  of  which,  in  course  of  time,  he  became  the  sole  member. 
The  success  of  his  business  fluctuated  greatly,  and  at  one  time  he 
was  considerably  embarrassed,  but  he  refused  any  offer  at  com- 
promise, and  eventually  was  able  to  meet  all  his  obligations  and 
to  establish  the  business  on  a  basis  which  yielded  him  a  comfort- 
able income.  Until  he  reached  the  age  of  55,  his  interests,  apart 
from  his  business,  were  almost  wholly  of  a  religious  nature.  He 
was  a  consistent  Methodist,  and  was  in  great  demand  as  a  local 
preacher.  He  also  devoted  some  time  to  literary  work,  numerous 
contributions  to  the  press  being  accredited  to  his  pen,  while  for  a 
period  he  was  the  virtual,  though  not  the  nominal,  editor  of  one  of 
the  Halifax  journals.  In  1835  he  was  elected  by  acclamation 
to  fill  a  vacancy  in  the  provincial  assembly,  and  in  the  following 
year  was  returned,  at  a  general  election,  by  a  substantial  majority. 


550  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

In  politics  he  was  a  Liberal,  and  was  one  of  Mr.  Howe's 
strongest  supporters  in  the  battle  for  popular  government  which 
waged  so  vigorously  at  that  time.  In  1844  he  was  elected 
mayor  of  the  city  of  Halifax,  and  in  1848  was  appointed  to  the 
Executive  Council  of  the  province,  holding  office  for  a  short  time 
as  financial  secretary  and  then  for  a  period  of  some  years  as 
chairman  of  the  Board  of  Works.  Mr.  Bell  was  closely  associ- 
ated with  Miss  Dix  in  her  agitation  for  the  creation  of  a  hospital, 
and  on  its  completion,  in  1867,  one  of  the  three  new  wards  then 
erected  was  named  in  his  honor  the  Bell  Ward.  His  death  occurred 
at  HaHfax  in  i860. 

The  following  excerpt  from  the  private  journal  of  his  son,  the 
late  John  A.  Bell,  indicates  very  accurately  the  part  played  by 
Mr.  Bell  in  the  history  of  the  Nova  Scotia  Hospital : 

In  this  latter  capacity  (Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Works)  he  had  almost 
sole  control  and  superintendence  of  the  building  and  equipment  of  the 
Lunatic  Hospital  at  Mount  Hope,  Dartmouth.  Into  this  work  he  threw 
his  whole  soul  and  energies  for  ten  years  or  more.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say 
that  an  asylum  for  lunatics  would  have  been  delayed  for  many  years,  and 
certainly  would  not  have  been  carried  out  on  so  noble  a  scale,  had  it  not 
been  for  the  persistent  zeal  and  untiring  activity  of  Hugh  Bell.  On  this 
subject  he  was  a  thorough  enthusiast.  Though  comparatively  a  poor  man, 
he  appropriated  the  whole  of  his  one  year's  salary  as  mayor,  and  I  verily 
believe  had  he  been  able  he  would  have  completed  the  whole  establishment 
at  his  own  expense.  During  these  years  Miss  D.  Dix,  a  widely  known 
philanthropist  of  the  United  States,  paid  several  visits  at  Bloomfield  (Mr. 
Bell's  residence),  and  I  believe  it  was  my  mother,  with  the  approval  of 
Miss  Dix,  who  chose  the  name  "  Mount  Hope." 

DR.  GEORGE  FOWLER  BODINGTON. 

Dr.  Bodington,  eldest  son  of  Mr.  Geo.  Bodington,  surgeon,  of 
Sutton  Coldfield,  Warwickshire,  England  (who  was  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  the  out-door  treatment  of  tuberculosis),  was  born  at 
Erdington,  Warwickshire,  September  14,  1828.  He  was  educated 
at  Sutton  Coldfield  Grammar  School  and  apprenticed  to  his  father. 
He  received  his  early  medical  training  at  Queen's  College,  Bir- 
mingham, and  after  taking  the  membership  of  the  Royal  College  of 
Surgeons  (1849)  he  visited  India  and  South  Africa  as  ship's  sur- 
geon of  the  "  Hebrides."  He  spent  some  time  practicing  his  pro- 
fession in  the  back  settlements  of  Pietermaritzburg,  where  his 
fees  were  paid  him  in  elephants'  tusks,  of  which  he  brought  away 


HUGH  BELL. 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    CANADA   AND    NEWFOUNDLAND  55 1 

some  hundreds  of  pounds  worth  as  the  fruit  of  about  eight  months' 
work.  At  that  time  the  elephant  still  roamed  the  forests  of  Natal, 
and  life  there  suited  Bodington's  hardy  frame  and  adventurous 
disposition.  He,  however,  returned  to  England  in  1851  and  set- 
tled in  practice  at  Kenilworth,  in  partnership  with  his  uncle,  Wm. 
Bodington,  F.  R.  C.  S.  In  1866  he  moved  to  Middlesborough-on- 
Tees,  Yorkshire,  where  he  remained  until  called  to  take  the  man- 
agement of  a  private  asylum  established  by  his  father  at  Sutton 
Coldfield  near  Birmingham.  Brought  into  contact  with  the 
vivid  medical  life  of  that  great  city,  Dr.  Bodington  became  an 
active  member  of  its  various  medical  societies,  and  bore  a  leading 
part  in  establishing  the  Birmingham  Medical  Institute,  of  which 
he  was  one  of  the  early  presidents.  He  was  also  president  of  the 
Birmingham  and  Midland  Counties  Branch  of  the  British  Medical 
Association  in  1876.  He  was  at  this  time  full  of  activity,  taking  an 
immense  interest  in  all  that  made  for  professional,  social  and  po- 
litical progress,  and  in  particular  associated  himself  with  Mr. 
Dalrymple  in  the  movement  to  Obtain  legislation  for  the  care  and 
control  of  inebriates.  The  asylum  with  which  he  became  con- 
nected, owing  to  the  falling  in  of  the  lease,  had  to  be  transferred  to 
Ashwood  House,  Kingswinford  in  Staffordshire.  Here,  unfor- 
tunately, his  wife  never  enjoyed  good  health,  and  after  several 
years  of  trial  Dr.  Bodington  decided  to  sell  the  asylum  and  seek 
elsewhere,  in  a  more  congenial  climate,  a  home  for  his  family. 
After  wandering  for  a  year  or  two,  he  settled  eventually  in  British 
Columbia,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  and  carried  on  medical 
practice.  The  advance  of  civilization  in  these  western  regions  ren- 
dered a  large  lunatic  asylum  a  necessity,  and  after  many  vicissi- 
tudes one  had  been  established.  Of  this  Dr.  Bodington  was 
appointed  medical  superintendent  on  February  i,  1895,  resigning 
his  position  February  28,  1901.  His  success  in  this  work  is  well 
attested  both  by  his  yearly  reports  and  by  the  tribute  paid  to  him  in 
the  first  report  made  by  his  successor.  Dr.  Manchester.  In  view 
of  the  faithful  services  rendered,  he  was  voted  a  liberal  retiring 
allowance  by  the  government.  Returning  to  England,  Dr. 
Bodington  eventually  settled  in  Paris,  where  his  eldest  son  occu- 
pied an  important  position  in  Anglo-American  legal  and  commer- 
cial circles.  Here  he  passed  away  on  May  8,  1902,  in  the  73d 
year  of  his  age.  Dr.  Bodington  was  a  man  of  magnificent  physique 
42 


552  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

and  fine  presence,  a  delightful  companion  and  an  enthusiastic  man 
of  letters.  He  was  the  worthy  holder  of  the  F.  R.  C.  S.,  Eng.,  and 
the  M.  R.  C.  P.,  London,  in  addition  to  various  other  degrees. 

EDWARD  L.  BOND. 

Edward  L.  Bond,  youngest  son  of  Right  Reverend  Bishop 
Bond,  of  Montreal,  was  born  in  that  city,  October  2,  1850,  and 
died  in  Phillipsburg,  Que.,  December  4,  1901.  Mr.  Bond  had 
always  been  interested  in  the  work  of  the  Protestant  Hospital  for 
Insane,  and  had  served  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Management 
from  1896  until  his  appointment  as  honorary  secretary  in  1900, 
which  position  he  held  when  his  untimely  death  occurred.  As  is 
the  case  with  any  institution  in  part  dependent  on  the  charity  of 
the  public  for  its  revenue,  the  i>ersonnel  of  its  governing  body  is 
a  matter  of  considerable  moment ;  fortunate  was  the  charity  which 
numbered  Mr.  Bond  on  its  administrative  board.  Physically  of 
exceedingly  fine  appearance,  known  far  and  wide  as  a  man  of  the 
highest  integrity,  and  prominent  in  business  ability,  the  friends  he 
made  for  the  various  humanitarian  projects  in  which  he  was 
actively  interested  were  legion. 

Although  a  busy  man,  being  engaged  as  underwriter  for  a  num- 
ber of  important  insurance  companies  and  a  member  of  the  direc- 
torate of  several  large  commercial  concerns,  he  found  time  to  do 
more  than  his  share  for  the  uplift  of  his  fellow  men.  He  was 
chairman  of  the  Provincial  Plebiscite  Committee ;  one  of  the  origi- 
nators of  the  Law  and  Order  League,  of  the  Good  Government 
Association  and  of  the  Citizen's  League ;  he  was  a  member  of  the 
executive  committee  of  the  Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty 
to  Animals.  He  also  had  been  lieutenant  in  the  militia,  serving 
through  the  Fenian  Raids  of  1866  and  1870,  and  acting  as  second 
in  command  of  his  regiment  through  the  Riel  Rebellion  in  1885 ; 
he  retired  with  the  rank  of  major. 

Truly  of  him  it  might  be  said,  "  Write  me  as  one  who  loves  his 
fellow  man." 

THE  RIGHT  REVEREND  WILLIAM  BENNETT  BOND. 

William  Bennett  Bond  was  born  in  Truro,  England,  September 
10,  181 5,  and  died  at  Montreal,  Can.,  October  9,  1906.  The  son  of 
an  English  army  ofificer,  John  Bond,  an  upright  and  austere  man, 


1)U.  J.  A.  SIVI'.WKlGilT 


DR.  G.  F.  BODINGTON. 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    CANADA   AND    NEWFOUNDLAND  553 

and  Nanny  Bennett  Bond,  who  was  a  pious  and  devoted  mother,  he 
was  as  a  lad  surrounded  by  the  influences  which  moulded  a  charac- 
ter fit  to  choose  the  better  part  throughout  life.  His  education  was 
secured  at  the  Calday  Grammar  School,  West  Kirby,  Cheshire, 
and  proceeded  with  nothing  more  unusual  than  the  customary 
digressions  and  escapades  accompanying  the  acquirement  of  ele- 
mentary knowledge  by  the  healthy  lad.  Tales  of  these  early 
years  perhaps  show  his  outstanding  traits  to  have  been  strength 
and  endurance  physically,  prodigious  activity  both  at  work  and 
play,  and  the  championing  of  the  weak  against  the  strong — appro- 
priate qualities  indeed  for  one  who  was  later  to  become  the  first 
prelate  of  his  church  in  Canada,  the  country  of  his  adoption. 

At  the  age  of  17,  the  youth,  his  school  days  over,  came  to 
Canada  to  seek  his  fortune,  this  being  doubtless  decided  upon,  as 
William  was  the  eldest  of  12  children  and  a  British  army  officer's 
pay,  nearly  a  hundred  years  ago,  was  too  slender  to  meet  the  insis- 
tent demands  upon  it  that  must  have  occurred  with  such  a  quiver- 
ful. Arriving  at  Newfoundland  he  there  began  a  commercial 
career,  but  meeting  with  two  gentlemen,  a  Mr.  Willoughby  and  a 
Mr.  Bridge,  both  scholarly  men,  who  evidently  were  extraordi- 
narily attracted  to  the  young  man  by  his  sterling  character,  the  idea 
of  his  entering  holy  orders  seems  to  have  first  suggested  itself  to 
him;  with  the  former  of  his  new  friends  he  continued  his  studies, 
including  Greek,  with  this  end  in  view,  while  by  the  latter  he  was 
introduced  to  Bishop  Mountain,  of  Quebec,  as  one  fitted  to  pursue  a 
clerical  calling.  After  two  years'  study  under  the  Reverend  Bishop 
he  passed  the  necessary  examinations,  and  in  1840  was  ordained  a 
priest  of  the  Anglican  church. 

In  the  following  year,  1841,  he  went  to  St.  Johns,  Newfound- 
land, and  there  married  Eliza  Langley,  returning  immediately  to 
take  up  the  work  of  travelling  missionary  through  that  part  of 
Quebec  Province  known  as  the  Eastern  Townships,  a  fertile  roll- 
ing section  of  country  then  largely  settled  by  colonists  of  British 
birth.  There  during  the  ensuing  two  years  the  young  cleric  faith- 
fully performed  his  duty,  and  well  it  was  that  his  body  was  strong 
and  his  purpose  unswerving.  The  mere  physical  stresses  of  travel 
at  that  time  were  such  as  to  break  down  a  man  of  lesser  frame :  on 
one  occasion  he  travelled  over  400  miles  in  24  days,  conducting 
nearly  40  services,  part  of  this  distance  being  covered  on  foot, 


554  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

part  on  horseback,  and  part  with  a  light  conveyance,  over  roads 
and  trails  which  existed  in  scarce  more  than  name. 

In  1843  he  was  given  his  first  pastorate  at  Lachine  and  five 
years  later  was  appointed  assistant  minister  to  St.  George's 
Church,  Montreal.  From  this  time,  his  rise  in  the  church  was 
rapid,  he  being  successively  advanced  to  the  post  of  rector  of  St. 
George's  in  i860;  created  archdeacon  in  1870;  dean  in  1872: 
bishop  in  1879;  rnetropolitan  archbishop  in  1901 ;  and  Primate  of 
all  Canada  in  1904. 

His  career  as  a  clergyman,  his  eloquence  in  the  pulpit  and  his 
life  outside  of  it,  his  able  discharge  of  the  many  important  admin- 
istrative duties  connected  with  the  higher  commands  of  the  church 
to  which  he  rose,  stamped  him  as  a  man  of  unusual  ability  and 
integrity,  while  the  unanimity  of  his  choice  for  the  successive 
promotions  which  came  to  him  amply  proved  his  fitness  for  them  all. 

Naturally  a  power  in  the  city  of  Montreal,  he  ever  allied  himself 
with  the  various  schemes  for  social  reform,  the  amelioration  of 
human  distress  in  whatever  form  it  occurred,  and  the  furtherance 
of  good  in  the  body  politic. 

During  the  formative  years  of  the  Protestant  Hospital  for  In- 
sane, he  warmly  threw  the  weight  of  his  position  and  personality 
to  further  the  plan,  and  presided  over  one  of  the  earliest  meetings 
called  to  appoint  a  committee  to  consider  the  question  of  the  care 
of  the  Protestant  insane  in  Quebec,  and  to  give  formal  notice  of 
application  for  an  act  of  incorporation.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
members  of  the  provisional  Board  of  Governors  and  was  unani- 
mously named  the  first  president  of  the  corporation,  being  elected 
in  June,  1885,  and  retiring  in  November,  1886,  owing  to  the  press 
of  diocesan  duties.  He  remained  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Man- 
agement until  1905. 

JONATHAN  BROWN. 

Jonathan  Brown  was  one  of  the  many  prominent  men  of 
Montreal  who  took  an  active  interest  in  the  Protestant  Hospital 
for  Insane  for  a  number  of  years,  both  as  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Management  and  Honorary  Secretary,  which  latter  position  he 
ably  filled  from  1903  until  his  death  on  July  17,  191 5.  Born  in 
Windsor,  Que.,  in  1828,  he  was  educated  at  the  academies  of  Hatley 
and  Sherbrooke.    He  entered  the  lumber  industry  in  Montreal  in 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    CANADA   AND    NEWFOUNDLAND  555 

1856,  and  in  a  few  years  became  first  a  partner,  and  later  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Shearer  &  Brown  Co.,  Ltd.  Always  philanthropic 
in  his  motives,  he  ever  was  in  the  forefront  of  charitable  move- 
ments. As  his  declining  years  came  on  and  active  business  cares 
were  laid  aside,  he  devoted  more  and  more  of  his  time  to  the 
furtherance  of  various  humanitarian  projects  in  Montreal.  With 
him  faith  and  works  went  hand  in  hand,  and  his  purse  was  ever 
open  to  the  call  of  the  needy — more  than  one  institution  receiving 
substantial  aid  from  him  when  in  financial  straits.  He  was  a  life 
governor  of  the  Montreal  General  Hospital,  a  life  member  of  the 
Mechanics  Institute,  and  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Montreal 
Horticultural  Society. 

DR.  H.  E.  BUCHAN. 

Dr.  Humphrey  Ewing  Buchan,  assistant  superintendent  of  the 
London  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  died  October  17,  1907.  He  was 
born  near  Paris,  Ont.,  May  20,  1842.  He  graduated  in  arts  and 
medicine  in  the  University  of  Toronto,  and  afterwards  studied 
in  London,  England,  and  in  Glasgow. 

After  spending  many  years  in  private  practice,  in  1883  he  was 
appointed  assistant  superintendent  at  the  Toronto  Hospital  for 
the  Insane.  He  subsequently  occupied  a  similar  position  in  Rock- 
wood  Hospital  for  the  Insane  at  Kingston,  and  then  removed  to 
the  London  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  Ontario,  in  which  institution 
he  remained  until  his  final  illness  overtook  him. 

Dr.  Buchan  was  a  popular  physician  and  had  many  admirers 
in  the  service.  Had  he  commenced  the  study  of  psychiatry  at  an 
earlier  period  in  his  professional  career  he  would  no  doubt  at  the 
proper  time  have  been  found  at  the  head  of  an  institution.  He 
was  a  man  of  gentle  nature,  and  enjoyed  the  confidence  and  re- 
spect of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 

DR.  RICHARD  MAURICE  BUCKE. 

On  the  19th  of  February,  1902,  Richard  Maurice  Bucke,  M.  D., 
died  under  extremely  sad  circumstances.  About  11  o'clock  on 
the  previous  evening,  while  apparently  in  the  best  of  health,  he 
went  upon  the  veranda  of  his  residence,  as  was  his  custom,  for  a 
short  walk  before  retiring.    His  family  heard  him  fall,  and  going 


556  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

to  his  assistance,  found  him  unconscious.  He  never  rallied,  and 
died  in  a  few  hours. 

He  was  born  March  i8,  1837,  ^t  Methwald,  Suffolk,  England. 
In  1838  his  family  emigrated  to  Canada  and  settled  on  a  farm  in 
London  Township,  County  of  Middlesex.  Here  he  remained  until 
he  was  16  years  of  age. 

He  went  to  the  United  States,  and  in  his  desire  to  see  the 
world  accepted  any  chance  that  came,  working  on  farms  and  on 
steamboats,  even  as  a  deck  hand,  so  long  as  he  gained  a  new 
experience.  He  first  drifted  South,  by  way  of  the  Mississippi  River. 
In  the  spring  of  1856  he  crossed  the  Western  plains  with  a  cattle 
train,  acting  in  the  capacity  of  cook  to  the  party.  At  Salt  Lake 
City  he  joined  a  small  party  setting  out  for  California — a  hazard- 
ous undertaking  for  that  time,  particularly  as  the  company  had 
determined  to  walk  the  entire  distance,  although  carrying  their 
supplies  in  wagons.  The  inevitable  happened,  and  in  a  desperate 
fight  with  Indians  three  of  the  little  band  were  killed,  the  wagons 
and  supplies  were  captured,  and  the  survivors  were  forced  to 
attempt  the  remaining  300  miles  without  resources  of  any  kind. 
A  pitiful  story  it  was,  and  of  the  fifteen  who  set  out  only  four 
reached  their  destination,  and  these  were  almost  starved  when  the 
journey  was  over.  So  great  was  their  need  of  food  at  times  that 
they  were  forced  to  feed  on  seeds  and  small  frogs.  When  they 
reached  the  Humboldt  River  they  were  almost  dead  from  thirst. 

He  next  appeared  in  California,  and  during  the  winter  of  1859- 
60  he  was  again  the  victim  of  tragic  circumstances,  he  being  the 
sole  survivor  of  a  mining  party.  He  was  badly  frozen  while  in  the 
mountains,  and  had  it  not  been  for  his  wonderful  vitality  and 
indomitable  will  he  would  never  have  reached  a  settlement  or 
survived  the  long  and  terrible  illness  that  followed  his  exposure. 
As  the  injuries  received  on  this  memorable  trip  across  the  moun- 
tains made  walking  difficult  he  returned  to  Canada,  via  the  Isth- 
mus of  Panama,  in  i860,  and  commenced  the  study  of  medicine, 
graduating  with  high  honors  in  McGill  University,  Montreal,  in 
the  spring  of  1864,  and  winning  a  prize.  After  his  graduation 
he  spent  18  or  20  months  in  the  London  and  Paris  hospitals,  and  on 
his  return  went  to  California  for  eight  months  as  a  witness  in  a 
mine  suit. 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    CANADA   AND    NEWFOUNDLAND  557 

He  settled  in  Sarnia,  Ont.,  where  he  practiced  for  ten  years, 
when  he  was  appointed  medical  superintendent  of  the  Hamilton 
Asylum  for  the  Insane,  and  after  a  year's  service  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  London  Asylum,  where  he  remained  until  his  death, 
just  25  years  later. 

On  his  return  from  California  he  married  Miss  M.  Gurd,  who 
survives  him. 

Dr.  Bucke  was  president  of  the  American  Medico-Psychologi- 
cal Association  in  1898,  and  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  foremost 
men  in  medical  circles  in  Canada. 

As  an  alienist  he  was  eminent,  and  his  name  is  associated  with 
the  names  of  such  reformers  as  Joseph  Workman  and  others.  He 
accepted  non-restraint  as  something  better  than  a  fad,  and  in  his 
institution  the  non-restraint  system  was  first  adopted  (1882),  this 
lead  being  promptly  followed  by  Kingston  and  Toronto.  It  marked 
the  beginning  of  an  era  of  better  things  for  the  insane  of  Ontario, 
and  Dr.  Bucke's  energy  was  a  stimulus  to  many  of  the  juniors  in 
the  service.  His  views  on  the  abuses  of  alcohol  in  the  treatment  of 
insanity,  and  his  investigations  in  gynecological  surgery  among 
the  insane  are  well  known.  He  believed  that  a  large  proportion  of 
insane  women  suffered  from  uterine  and  ovarian  diseases  which 
could  be  benefited  by  operation.  The  improved  physical  health 
resulting  implied  a  better  state  of  mentality.  That  this  was  good 
common  sense  all  agree,  the  point  at  issue  being  the  ability,  or 
want  of  ability,  on  the  part  of  the  majority  of  specialists  to  decide 
which  cases  should  be  operated  on. 

He  was  loved  by  his  patients  and  employees  and  had  a  deep 
sympathy  for  the  old  and  infirm  ;  his  warm  heart  won  him  life-long 
friends  wherever  he  went.  His  library  was  one  of  the  most  exten- 
sive in  Canada,  and  he  was  an  untiring  student,  reading  widely 
and  deeply,  particularly  along  the  lines  suggested  by  his  remark- 
able books  on  "  Man's  Moral  Nature  "  and  "  Cosmic  Conscious- 
ness." 

In  person  he  was  of  striking  appearance,  of  splendid  physique 
and  carrying  the  stamp  of  intellectual  force  in  his  face.  He 
dressed  much  after  the  style  of  Walt  Whitman,  and  would  be 
marked  in  any  assemblage  as  a  man  of  originality.  In  daily  life 
he  was  simple,  direct  and  honest  and  was  a  great  lover  of  nature. 
The  happiest  days  of  each  year  were  those  spent  at  his  summer 


558  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF    THE    INSANE 

retreat  at  Gloucester  Pool,  in  Muskoka.  He  was  deeply  mourned 
by  a  large  circle  of  friends,  who  loved  him  for  his  sturdy  honesty, 
his  warm  heart,  his  intellectual  force,  but  most  of  all  for  his  noble 
qualities  as  a  man. 

GEORGE  BULL  BURLAND. 

George  Bull  Burland  was  born  at  Loggan  Hall,  Wexford  Co., 
Ireland,  in  1829,  and  died  at  Los  Angeles,  Gal.,  May  22,  1907, 
whither  a  quest  for  health  had  led  him.  He  was  educated  by  a 
private  tutor,  and  came  to  Canada  with  his  parents  in  1840,  for 
some  years  occupying  a  position  in  the  office  of  his  uncle,  George 
P.  Bull,  then  proprietor  of  the  Gazette  in  Hamilton,  Ont.  Return- 
ing to  Montreal,  where  his  parents  had  settled,  he  associated  him- 
self with  the  engraving  business  and  later  became  president  of  the 
British  American  Bank  Note  Company,  an  enterprise  which  he 
created.  This  company  for  many  years  executed  the  greater 
portion  of  the  banknote  printing  and  engraving  for  the  Dominion 
Government.  He  also  established  the  Burland  Lithographic 
Company  in  1874,  of  which  he  was  president  and  manager  till  1886, 
when  other  more  absorbing  duties  caused  him  to  resign  from  this 
position. 

Although  engaged  in  large  and  important  commercial  ventures, 
which  would  prove  sufficient  to  engross  the  undivided  attention 
of  the  average  man,  he  devoted  great  interest  and  valuable  time  to 
charitable  works.  He  was  a  life  governor  of  the  Montreal  General 
Hospital,  of  the  Western  Hospital  and  of  the  Montreal  Dispensary, 
and  was  connected  with  many  other  beneficent  institutions,  the 
object  of  which  was  the  relief  of  suffering.  He  was  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Protestant  Hospital  for  Insane,  being  elected  to  that 
office  by  the  first  Board  of  Management  in  1886,  and  in  November 
being  appointed  president,  owing  to  the  resignation  of  Archbishop 
Bond ;  he  retained  the  chair  of  this  body  until  1888,  when,  owing 
to  a  disagreement  between  himself  and  some  of  the  other 
governors,  he  tendered  his  resignation.  Men  who  "  do  "  things, 
it  might  be  recorded,  seldom  turn  the  second  cheek  to  the  smiter, 
and  in  this  respect  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  no  exception, 
meekness  not  being  his  outstanding  virtue.  His  retirement  from 
office  however  in  no  wise  lessened  his  real  sympathy  with  the 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    CANADA   AND    NEWFOUNDLAND  559 

hospital's  aims,  and  during  his  Hfetime  his  benefactions  included 
a  splendidly  equipped  pathological  laboratory  and  a  fine  residence 
for  the  medical  superintendent,  while  at  his  death  a  substantial 
legacy  to  the  institution  showed  his  approval  of  its  achieve- 
ments. It  was  ever  his  regret  that  the  institution  had  had  perforce 
to  mortgage  various  buildings  to  the  Provincial  Government  to 
secure  the  funds  to  erect  them,  and  he  would  fain  have  seen  the 
finances  of  the  hospital  on  a  much  better  footing.  A  man  of 
strength  in  the  community,  shrewd  in  business,  and,  under  a 
brusque  exterior,  of  generous  heart,  his  strong  support  of  chari- 
table aims  in  Montreal  was  sadly  missed  at  his  death. 

DR.  DANIEL  CLARK. 

Dr.  Qark  was  born  at  Granton,  Inverness-shire,  Scotland, 
August  29,  1835.  Accompanying  his  parents  to  Canada  in  1841, 
his  early  years  were  spent  upon  his  father's  farm.  In  1850  he 
went  to  California  where  he  had  some  stirring  experiences  during 
the  year  or  more  he  remained  there.  On  his  return  to  Canada  he 
attended  the  Simcoe  Grammar  School,  and  subsequently  studied 
classics,  mathematics  and  philosophy  in  Toronto.  His  medical 
studies  were  pursued  at  the  Toronto  School  of  Medicine  and  at 
Victoria  University,  Cobourg,  where  he  graduated  in  1858.  Later 
the  University  of  Toronto  bestowed  on  him  the  degree  of  M.  D., 
ad  eund.  After  leaving  college,  he  went  to  Europe  and  studied  in 
Edinburgh,  London  and  Paris.  Returning  to  Canada  in  1859,  he 
began  practice  in  Princeton,  Ont.,  but  when  the  Civil  War  broke 
out  in  America  joined  the  Federal  Army  of  the  Potomac,  under 
General  Grant,  as  a  volunteer  surgeon,  gaining  much  valuable 
experience.  In  1872  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Ontario  Med- 
ical Council  for  four  years,  and  afterwards  was  re-elected  for  a 
second  term.  He  was  twice  elected  president  of  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons,  Ontario,  and  at  one  time  was  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Medico-Legal  Society  of  New  York.  In  1891  he 
became  president  of  the  American  Medico-Psychological  Associa- 
tion, and  in  1906  was  made  an  honorary  member  of  that  body.  He 
was  also  immensely  popular  with  the  Scottish  societies  of  Toronto, 
occupying  many  positions  of  honor  with  them.  In  December, 
1875,  he  was  appointed  medical  superintendent  of  the  Toronto 


560  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

Asylum  for  the  Insane  in  succession  to  Dr.  Charles  Gowan,  who 
had  filled  this  position  for  a  short  time  after  the  retirement  of  Dr. 
Joseph  Workman.  The  appointment  caused  a  good  deal  of  feeling 
at  the  time  among  certain  members  of  the  medical  profession,  who 
felt  that  politics  were  being  made  to  play  too  important  a  part  in 
institutional  affairs.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Medical  Council 
strongly  urged  Dr.  Clark's  claims,  and  the  government,  which  had 
been  severely  heckled  because  it  had  imported  a  psychiatrist  from 
England,  the  experiment  turning  out  badly,  was  glad  to  accept  the 
suggestions  of  the  Council.  Dr.  Clark,  commencing  the  work 
of  governing  a  large  institution  at  middle  age  without  previous 
experience,  did  admirably  and  proved  a  sound  and  efficient  ad- 
ministrator. He  was  fair-minded  and  popular  with  his  officers, 
interested  in  his  patients,  and  had  the  happy  knack  of  knowing 
how  to  deal  with  the  troublesome  public  that  always  tries  the 
patience  of  the  asylum  superintendent.  Having  a  fondness  for 
metaphysics  and  the  Scotchman's  penchant  for  philosophical  dis- 
cussion, he  was  not  inclined  to  look  with  favor  upon  localized 
pathological  conditions  as  playing  any  important  part  in  the  causa- 
tion of  the  different  psychoses,  and  various  papers  by  him,  such 
as  'the  "  Animated  Molecule,"  made  clear  his  mental  characteris- 
tics and  bent  on  this  subject.  Dr.  Clark's  point  of  view  never 
coincided  with  that  of  the  psychiatrist  of  the  present  day,  and  he 
belonged  to  a  school  pretty  largely  his  own.  He  was  particularly 
opposed  to  the  theory  of  brain  localization,  and  was  able  to  keep 
up  his  end  of  the  argument  with  great  credit  to  his  powers  as  a 
debater.  It  was  unfortunate  that  he  should  have  commenced  his 
psychiatric  studies  when  well  up  in  middle  life,  because  he  had 
qualities  which  would  have  made  him  brilliant  had  he  been  trained 
in  this  specialty  in  his  youth.  As  it  was  he  did  excellent  work,  and 
was  frequently  called  as  an  expert  witness  in  medico-legal  cases. 
In  these  he  gained  a  well-earned  reputation,  being  self-possessed, 
keen-witted  and  fully  aware  of  the  fact  that  the  average  lawyer,  no 
matter  how  well  crammed,  is  easily  put  on  the  rocks  by  one  who 
has  a  technical  command  of  the  situation.  The  doctor  was  of 
commanding  presence,  and  was  in  every  respect  an  ideal  witness, 
never  appearing  as  a  partisan,  although  he  delighted  in  leading  a 
cross-examiner  into  metaphysics  and  psychological  definitions. 
On  such  occasions  he  appeared  at  his  best.    Dr.  Clark  was  a  de- 


DR.   JAMES   R.   DeWOLF. 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    CANADA   AND    NEWFOUNDLAND  561 

lightful  companion,  possessed  of  a  pawky  humor  that  made  him 
acceptable  in  any  company,  while  his  literary  style  made  his 
writings  welcome  additions  to  the  library.  Besides  frequent  con- 
tributions to  periodical  literature,  both  medical  and  general,  he 
was  the  author  of  a  work,  "Pen  Photographs"  (1873)  ;  of  a 
novel  called  "  Josiah  Garth,"  dealing  with  the  Canadian  Rebellion 
of  1837  (1878)  ;  of  the  "  Public  and  the  Doctors  in  Relation  to  the 
Dipsomaniac"  (1888)  ;  and  of  "  Mental  Diseases,"  a  synopsis  of 
12  lectures  delivered  at  the  Hospital  for  Insane,  Toronto,  to  the 
graduating  medical  classes  ( 1894) .  Dr.  Clark  continued  in  charge 
of  the  Toronto  Asylum  up  to  1905,  when  he  retired  to  a  well- 
earned  rest,  living  in  Toronto  until  his  death  in  September,  191 2. 
Dr.  Clark  was  also  for  many  years  an  extra-mural  professor  of 
Mental  Diseases  in  the  University  of  Toronto. 

DR.  JAMES  RATCHFORD  DeWOLF. 

Dr.  DeWolf,  son  of  the  Hon.  T.  A.  S.  DeWolf,  was  bom  at 
Wolfville,  N.  S.,  in  1819.  His  early  education  was  obtained  at 
Horton  Academy.  He  studied  medicine  at  Windsor,  N.  S.,  from 
1836  to  1838,  and  received  his  degree  of  M.  D.  from  Edinburgh 
University  in  1841.  Subsequently  he  was  house  surgeon  to  the 
Maternity  Hospital,  Edinburgh,  and  clinical  clerk  to  the  cele- 
brated Prof.  Sir  Robert  Christison,  receiving  the  degree  of 
L.  R,  C.  S.,  England.  Later  he  was  elected  to  membership  in  the 
Medical  Society  of  Paris,  and  the  Medico-Psychological  Associa- 
tion of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland.  After  returning  to  America  he 
practiced  for  two  years,  1842-43,  at  Kentville,  N.  S.,  and  then  for  a 
short  period  at  Brigus,  Newfoundland.  Removing  thence  to  Hali- 
fax in  1844,  he  continued  practice  in  that  city  up  to  1857,  when  he 
was  appointed  the  first  medical  superintendent  of  the  recently 
created  Nova  Scotia  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  a  position  that  he  held 
for  over  20  years.  Dr.  DeWolf  was  president  of  the  Nova  Scotia 
Philosophical  Society  in  1849,  ^"^  of  the  Nova  Scotia  Medical 
Society  in  1866,  while  from  1871  to  1875  he  was  professor  of 
Medical  Jurisprudence  at  Dalhousie  University. 

During  Dr.  DeWolf 's  superintendence  of  the  hospital  the 
greater  part  of  the  construction  work  was  accomplished,  and  to 
him  fell  the  task  of  the  organization  of  the  staff  and  the  overcom- 
ing of  the  troubles  incident  to  the  beginning  of  such  an  institu- 


562  INSTITUTIONAL  CARE  OF  THE   INSANE 

tion.  The  whole  treatment  pursued  by  him  was  embraced  in  a 
single  idea,  humanity,  and  he  was  ever  governed  by  the  law  of 
kindness  and  the  desire  to  relieve  suffering.  He  instituted  at  the 
hospital  a  system  of  treatment  free  from  restraint,  seclusion,  and 
the  abuses,  even  at  that  day,  still  common,  and  soon  established  for 
the  Nova  Scotia  Hospital  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  most 
advanced  of  the  institutions  for  the  mentally  afflicted.  A  notice 
of  his  death  at  Halifax,  in  1901,  says : 

His  amiability  of  character,  his  solicitude  for  the  welfare  of  those  who 
came  within  the  circle  of  his  acquaintance,  in  a  word.  Dr.  DeWolf's  sterling 
attributes  of  heart  and  hand,  are  known  to  all  men.  The  memory  of  his 
faithful  labors  will  not  perish. 

Unfortunately  Dr.  DeWolf  was  not  always  able  to  agree  with 
the  members  of  his  board,  and  his  insistence  upon  his  claim  to  be 
best  qualified  to  determine  what  should  be  done  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  institution  developed  the  hostility  of  some  of  these 
gentlemen.  Dissensions  arose  in  the  hospital  household  also,  and 
insubordination  and  disloyalty  on  the  part  of  some  of  those  asso- 
ciated with  him  brought  about  a  condition  of  affairs  which  led  to 
his  retirement  in  1878. 

DR.  JOHN  ROBINSON  DICKSON. 

Dr.  John  Robinson  Dickson  was  born  in  Dungannon,  County 
Tyrone,  Ireland,  November  15,  1819.  Educated  in  Belfast  and 
Glasgow,  he  came  to  Canada  in  1838,  and  graduated  in  medicine 
from  the  University  of  New  York  in  1842.  Returning  to  Canada, 
he  settled  in  Kingston,  where  he  became  prominent  as  a  surgeon. 
He  lectured  at  Queen's  University  for  some  years  in  surgery,  and 
was  afterwards  dean  of  the  medical  faculty.  In  1862  he  was  ap- 
pointed surgeon  of  the  Kingston  penitentiary,  and  in  1868  medical 
superintendent  of  Rockwood  Asylum.  He  died  November  23, 
1882. 

DR.  JAMES  DOUGLAS. 

Dr.  Douglas,  pioneer  alienist  in  the  province  of  Quebec,  was  the 
son  of  the  Rev.  Geo.  Douglas,  a  prominent  Methodist,  and  a 
friend  of  the  Rev.  John  Wesley.  He  was  born  at  Brechin  in 
Angus,  Scotland,  May  20,  1800.  His  early  education  was  received 
principally  in  Dumfries.     During  the  winter  of  181 2- 13  he  was 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    CANADA   AND    NEWFOUNDLAND  563 

sent  to  the  Wesleyan  College  at  Woodhouse  Grove  in  Yorkshire, 
but  taking  French  leave  from  there  returned  to  Dumfries.  The 
next  year  his  father  w^as  stationed  at  Penrith  in  Cumberland  and 
he  was  bound  there  for  five  years  as  an  apprentice  to  Dr.  Thomas 
Law,  an  uncle  of  Lord  Ellenborough.  In  the  autumn  of  1818, 
having  completed  his  indenture,  he  betook  himself  to  Edinburgh 
as  a  student  of  medicine.  Even  before  the  close  of  the  session  he 
accepted  the  position  of  surgeon  to  a  Greenland  whaler,  sailing 
from  Hull,  which  was  fortunate  in  penetrating  the  Arctic  Circle 
nearer  to  the  North  Pole  than  any  ship  prior  to  that  date,  except 
those  under  the  command  of  Sir  John  Ross.  At  the  close  of  his 
Arctic  voyage  he  resumed  his  medical  studies,  and  received  his 
diploma  from  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons,  Edinburgh,  on 
April  7,  1820.  At  Edinburgh  he  was  one  of  the  first  pupils  of 
Robert  Liston,  and  was  one  of  the  first  to  apply  his  teachings  on 
this  continent.  After  taking  his  degree  in  Edinburgh  he  pro- 
ceeded to  London  for  the  purpose  of  graduating  there  also  in  sur- 
gery, and  attached  himself  to  Guy's  and  St.  Bartholomew's  hos- 
pitals to  attend  the  lectures  of  Mr.  Abernethy  and  Sir  Astley 
Cooper.  On  receiving  his  degree  as  M.  R.  C.  S.,  London,  he 
entered  the  service  of  the  East  India  Company  and  proceeded  to 
India.  He  returned  to  England  in  1823  as  surgeon  of  the  East 
Indiaman  "  Competitor."  His  intention,  having  secured  a  perma- 
nent appointment  in  the  company's  service,  was  to  return  to  it,  but, 
tempted  by  salary  and  love  of  adventure,  he  joined  instead,  in 
1824,  as  surgeon  and  physician,  one  of  those  ill-considered  and  ill- 
fated  colonization  expeditions  to  Central  America  made  from 
Britain  between  the  years  1820  and  1830,  Here  he  was  placed 
in  charge  of  the  short-lived  colony  known  as  POyais  Settlement, 
Honduras,  but  being  severely  attacked  by  fever  sailed  for  the 
United  States,  landing  in  Boston.  After  a  very  narrow  escape  for 
his  life  owing  to  this  illness,  he  made  his  way  to  Utica,  N.  Y., 
where  he  married  and  settled  down  to  practice,  and  in  1824  was 
invited  to  deliver  a  course  of  lectures  on  anatomy  and  surgery  by 
the  Medical  College  at  Auburn.  In  1826  the  trustees  of  Williams 
College  conferred  upon  him  the  honorary  degree  of  M.  D.  An 
ardent  student  of  anatomy,  and  aware  of  the  indispensable  neces- 
sity of  material  for  dissection.  Dr.  Douglas  soon  got  into  trouble 
in  a  matter  of  resurrection,  and  being  in  danger  of  arrest,  made 

43 


564  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

a  speedy  flitting  to  Canada  in  view  of  the  fact  that  body-snatching 
was  a  States'  prison  offence.  After  a  short  stay  in  Montreal,  he 
journeyed  to  Quebec,  arriving  there  on  March  13,  1826,  and 
without  delay  began  work  at  his  profession.  The  cholera  epi- 
demics of  1832  and  1834  brought  him  into  prominence,  he  having 
been  the  first  to  proclaim  the  possibility,  in  fact  the  great  proba- 
bility, of  its  crossing  the  Atlantic.  He  was  thenceforth  one  of  the- 
best  and  most  widely  esteemed  practitioners  in  the  city.  Subse- 
quently, at  the  request  of  the  commissioners  for  the  Marine  and 
Emigrant  Hospital,  he  took  the  medical  charge  of  that  institution, 
and  there,  in  conjunction  with  Dr.  Painchaud,  delivered  the  first 
medical  lectures  ever  given  in  Quebec.  In  1845  the  grand  jurors 
having  made  a  very  strong  presentment  on  the  treatment  of  the 
insane  by  the  religious  communities,  in  whose  care  they  were,  he, 
at  the  solicitation  of  the  government,  agreed  to  take  charge  of 
them  for  a  period  of  three  years  on  the  understanding  that  the 
government  would  then  have  a  suitable  place  provided  for  them. 
This  agreement  led  to  the  creation  of  Beauport  Asylum,  of  which 
Dr.  Douglas  remained  the  head  up  to  the  time  of  his  withdrawal 
in  1866,  a  period  of  20  years.  His  character  and  methods  as  an 
alienist  are  thus  depicted  by  his  son,  James  Douglas,  LL.  D.,  of 
New  York. 

There  never  was  a  medical  superintendent  more  beloved  by  his  patients 
than  was  he.  They  called  him  in  all  sincerity  their  father.  When  he  went 
through  the  wards  they  clustered  around  him  like  children.  He  had  a  kind 
word  for  all.  He  possessed  that  rare  tact,  so  essential  to  all  who  would 
control  the  insane,  of  throwing  them  off  the  scent  of  their  false  fancies, 
without  contradicting  and  irritating  them.  However  irritable  he  himself 
might  be  with  people  accounted  sane,  he  never  lost  his  temper  with  those 
admittedly  insane.    In  his  medical  treatment  he  put  little  faith  in  drugs  as 

specifically  curative  agents   in  mental  disease Whether   rightly   or 

wrongly,  he  was  opposed  to  their  administration  when  intended  to  act 
directly  on  the  nervous  system.  He  confined  his  treatment  to  maintaining 
his  patients  in  as  perfect  a  state  of  health  as  possible,  and  directing  their 

thoughts  from  their  diseased  channels  by  work  and  amusements And 

like  all  who  have  had  to  do  with  these  helpless,  overgrown  children  of  God's 
afflicted  family,  he  was  not  only  keenly  interested  in  their  treatment,  but 
deeply  attached  to  many  of  them. 

During  the  horrors  of  1847,  caused  by  the  failure  of  the  potato 
crop,  the  frightful  famine  and  the  ensuing  typhus  (ship  fever) 
which  made  Ireland  well  nigh  desolate,  Dr.  Douglas  took  a  promi- 


DR.  JAMES  DOUGLAS. 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    CANADA   AND    NEWFOUNDLAND  565 

nent  part  in  combating  the  scourge.  Hundreds  of  thousands  fled 
for  refuge  to  America;  many  died  on  shipboard  while  others 
landed  on  the  shores  of  Canada  only  to  succumb  to  the  pestilence. 
Thousands  died  at  Grosse  Isle,  at  Quebec,  and  at  every  port  along 
the  waterways.  In  Quebec  a  private  hospital  was  opened  by  Drs. 
Douglas  and  Racey,  who  anticipated  the  outbreak.  It  was  on  the 
Beauport  beach  and  accommodated  masters  of  vessels  and  cabin 
passengers  who  objected  to  going  into  overcrowded  public  hospi- 
tals. In  1849,  owing  to  failing  health  due  to  a  bronchial  affection, 
Dr.  Douglas  decided  to  give  up  practice,  though  still  retaining  his 
connection  with  the  asylum  he  had  founded,  and  between  1851  and 
1866,  spent  nine  winters  abroad,  chiefly  in  Italy,  Egypt  and 
Palestine.  In  his  later  years  he  unfortunately  embarked  in  gold 
and  copper  mining  operations  in  the  eastern  counties  which  were 
without  exception  disastrous  and  engulfed  his  whole  estate  and 
left  him  sans  property  or  resource  at  an  age  when  he  could  not 
possibly  retrieve  his  fortunes.  He  bore  his  reverses,  however, 
without  a  groan,  and,  what  still  more  bespoke  his  manliness,  with- 
out reflection  on  others.  He  gave  up  his  property  and,  what  was 
harder  still,  his  reputation  for  shrewdness  without  a  murmur. 
This  done,  he  accompanied  his  son  to  the  United  States,  living 
with  him  for  a  time  at  Phoenixville,  Pa.,  and  later  at  New  York, 
where  he  terminated  a  long  and  useful,  though  varied  and  eventful, 
life  on  April  14,  1886,  in  his  80th  year.  His  character  as  described 
by  his  son,  before  referred  to,  was  a  strange  mixture : 

He  possessed  intellectual  ability  and  force  of  will  which  would  have 
made  him  a  leader  of  men,  had  he  been  ambitious  and  had  he  sought  a 
sphere  where  the  full  blaze  of  publicity  would  have  fallen  upon  him ;  for 
in  the  practice  of  his  own  profession  of  surgery  he  was  original  and  skilful 
to  an  eminent  degree.  And  when  he  undertook  any  public  work  or  advo- 
cated any  public  measure,  which,  however,  he  did  only  when  the  work  or 
the  measure  fell  within  the  sphere  of  his  professional  activity,  he  threw  his 
whole  strength  into  the  enterprise  or  its  advocacy,  with  such  impulsive 
energy  that  he  bore  down  all  opposition  and  carried  his  point  by  sheer 
force  of  attack.  Though  overbearing,  there  lay  in  his  nature  a  depth  of 
tenderness  which  never  came  to  the  surface  more  attractively  than  in  the 
presence  of  pain.  While  intolerant  of  disobedience  or  querulousness  on 
the  part  of  his  patients,  many  a  sufferer  lay  in  unrest  for  hours  waiting 
for  his  visit  and  for  the  luxury  of  being  lifted  and  turned  by  his  strong 
arms,  and  encouraged  by  his  unfaltering  and  sincere  opinion,  even  if  adverse. 
....  He  was  a  superb  man,  endowed  not  only  with  remarkable  gifts  of 
mind,  but  a  massive  and  well-balanced  frame.    Every  feature  of  the  face, 


566  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

the  size  and  contour  of  the  head,  even  the  bushy  crop  of  hair,  which  refused 
to  be  smoothed  but  stood  erect  and  defiant,  bespoke  strength  of  purpose 
and  activity  of  intellect.  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes,  after  once  meeting  him, 
said  he  did  not  know  whether  most  to  fear  or  admire  him,  but  that  in  his 
head  and  figure  he  was  the  nearest  approach  to  a  Jupiter  Olympus  of 
any  man  he  had  ever  seen.  He  had  many  of  the  qualities  of  greatness,  for 
his  character  possessed  the  elements  out  of  which  either  a  man  of  wide 
professional  repute  or  a  statesman  of  commanding  influence  might  have 

been  compounded When  under  the  strain  of  overwork  and  when 

irritated  by  confreres  who  were  professionally  his  inferiors,  he  was  apt  to 
yield  to  unbecoming  displays  of  temper  and  to  offensive  arbitrariness.  An 
unhesitating  reliance  on  his  own  judgment  remained  as  a  prominent  trait 
of  his  character.  And  he  possessed  to  an  eminent  degree  the  faculty  of 
self -justification  which  accompanies  most  self-reliant  natures. 

DR.  E.  EVARISTE  DUQUET. 

Dr.  Emmanuel  Evariste  Duquet  was  born  in  Ste.  Philomene, 
Chateauguay  County,  Que.,  April  3,  1855,  the  son  of  Francis 
Duquet,  a  farmer. 

His  early  education  was  at  Beauharnois  College,  where  he 
spent  three  years  under  the  tuition  of  the  Christian  Brothers.  At 
the  age  of  13  he  left  college  to  assist  his  father  on  the  farm,  but, 
with  a  natural  aptitude  for  study,  every  spare  moment  was 
devoted  to  his  books.  By  the  death  of  his  parents  when  he  was 
16  years  of  age  he  was  thrown  on  his  own  resources,  and  went 
to  Montreal  to  study  a  profession.  In  1875  he  began  the  study  of 
medicine,  and  received  his  degree  from  Victoria  College,  Montreal, 
in  1879.  He  became  a  general  practitioner  at  Longue  Pointe,  a 
suburb  of  Montreal,  and  soon  became  well  and  favorably  known 
as  an  exemplary  citizen  and  capable  physician. 

In  1885  he  was  appointed  assistant  physician  to  the  St.  Jean 
de  Dieu  Asylum,  better  known  as  the  Longue  Pointe  Asylum,  and 
afterwards  devoted  himself  entirely  to  the  study  and  treatment 
of  mental  diseases. 

In  1887,  upon  the  death  of  Dr.  Howard,  the  medical  superin- 
tendent, he  was  appointed  to  the  vacancy  by  the  Provincial  Gov- 
ernment, and  held  the  position  at  his  death. 

Although  of  a  delicate  constitution,  he  never  spared  himself  in 
his  untiring  efforts  to  improve  the  condition  of  his  patients,  who 
numbered  fully  1300.  The  severe  strain  from  the  increasing 
mental  and  physical  labor  connected  with  so  large  an  institution 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    CANADA   AND    NEWFOUNDLAND  567 

undermined  his  health  and  rendered  him  unable  to  resist  an  attack 
of  pneumonia,  from  which  he  died  after  an  illness  of  eight  days, 
on  December  9,  1894,  in  his  40th  year. 

The  classification  of  mental  disorders  was  his  favorite  study, 
and  his  discussion  of  it  in  the  psychological  section  of  the  Inter- 
national Medical  Congress  at  Washington  in  1887  was  most 
favorably  received. 

During  the  summer  of  1889  Dr.  Duquet  made  an  extended 
tour  of  Europe  and  visited  many  asylums.  He  also  attended  the 
International  Congress  on  Mental  Diseases  in  Paris  in  August  of 
the  same  year,  where  he  presented  a  paper  on  "  Legislation  Con- 
cerning Insane  Asylums  in  the  Province  of  Quebec."  This  paper, 
together  with  "  Notes  sur  un  cas  de  folic  simule,"  was  published 
in  the  proceedings  of  the  congress. 

In  November,  1889,  he  was  elected  an  associate  member  of  the 
Medico-Psychological  Society  of  Paris. 

In  1890  a  similar  honor  was  conferred  upon  him  by  the  Societe 
de  medicine  mentale  of  Belgium. 

Dr.  Duquet  was  married  in  1884. 

L'ABBE  A.  FAFARD. 

M.  Ambroise  Martial  Fafard,  founder  of  Baie  St.  Paul  Asylum, 
and  son  of  Joseph  Fafard,  merchant,  was  born  at  LTslet,  Novem- 
ber 24,  1846.  After  having  successfully  completed  a  classical 
course  at  the  college  of  St.  Anne  de  la  Pocatiere,  he  studied 
theology,  and  was  ordained  priest  at  Quebec  by  Mgr.  A.  E. 
Taschereau,  February  26,  1865.  Immediately  following  his 
ordination.  Abbe  Fafard  was  called  to  the  vicarage  of  Saint  Roch 
at  Quebec,  and  in  October,  1866,  was  appointed  the  first  curate 
at  Inverness,  Megantic  Co.,  where  he  built  a  church,  a  presbytery, 
etc.  In  1872  he  was  appointed  missionary  to  the  quarantine 
station  at  Grosse  Isle,  and  here  he  remained  until  October  of  that 
year  when  he  was  named  curate  of  St.  Urbain,  Charlevoix  Co. 
In  1880  Mgr.  Dominique  Racine  called  him  to  Chicoutimi,  and 
entrusted  to  him  the  duties  of  curate  of  the  office  of  the  cathedral 
and  assistant-superior  of  the  seminary.  He  at  once  proceeded  to 
interest  himself  in  finding  means  to  liquidate  the  debt  on  the 
cathedral,  and  succeeded,  by  the  publication  of  a  book  "  The 


568  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

Works  of  St.  Francis  Xavier,"  in  raising  the  sum  of  $4000  by 
the  end  of  the  first  year.  He  busied  himself  as  well  with  the 
organizing  of  a  company  for  the  construction  of  a  railroad  from 
Chambord,  Lake  St.  John,  to  Chicoutimi,  and  all  this  was  done 
without  neglecting  the  spiritual  welfare  of  his  parishioners.  In 
1889  he  was  made  parish  priest  of  Bale  St.  Paul  with  the  title  of 
Vicar  Forain,  and  amid  these  new  surroundings,  where  he  was  to 
end  his  days,  M.  Faf  ard  continued  to  be  the  same  active  and  enter- 
prising man.  Under  his  powerful  stimulus  the  peaceful  village 
was  rapidly  transformed,  an  aqueduct  and  an  electric  light  plant 
being  public  works  which  soon  bore  witness  to  the  interest  which 
the  new  incumbent  took  in  the  development  of  his  parish.  Soon 
after  his  arrival  M.  Fafard  struck  by  the  number  of  old  people 
without  homes  determined  to  secure  a  shelter  for  them.  The 
thought  and  its  execution  were  almost  simultaneous ;  the  following 
November  a  house  was  ready  to  receive  the  sick,  the  aged  and  the 
infirm.  This  was  known  as  St.  Ann's  Home,  which  later  developed, 
mainly  through  the  unceasing  efforts  of  M.  Fafard,  into,  and  was 
incorporated  as,  Ste.  Anne's  Hospital  at  Bale  St.  Paul.  Engrossed 
as  he  was  with  the  establishment  of  his  hospital  on  a  firm  founda- 
tion, the  Abbe  was  never  indifferent  to  the  well-being  of  his  flock. 
Beneath  a  brusque  exterior  was  hidden  a  wealth  of  kindness  of 
which  only  those  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  knew.  To  all  he 
gave  a  pleasant  word,  or  one  of  encouragement  or  good  advice,  and 
when  necessary,  helped  them  with  money  or  by  his  influence.  Such 
activity  and  mental  strain  prematurely  exhausted  the  physical 
forces  of  this  truly  good  man  who  was  taken  away  from  his  loving 
parishioners  on  August  12,  1899,  in  the  59th  year  of  his  age.  On 
the  1 6th  a  most  imposing  burial  service  was  held,  His  Highness 
Mgr.  Michael  Thomas  Labreque  officiating  in  the  presence  of  a 
large  concourse  of  clergy  and  members  of  his  own  and  neighboring 
parishes.  His  remains,  at  first  placed  in  the  parish  church,  were 
exhumed  at  the  time  of  the  demolition  of  that  edifice,  and  now 
rest  in  the  cemetery  of  the  Community  of  the  Little  Franciscan 
Sisters  of  Mary,  of  which  he  was  the  founder.  It  is  also  worthy 
of  note  that  the  Rev.  Father  was  largely  interested  in  the  establish- 
ment of  the  first  newspaper  published  at  Chicoutimi  and  Baie  St. 
Paul. 


L  ABBE  A.  FAFARD. 


ALFRED  PIlRRY 


DR.  JOHN  WANLESS. 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    CANADA   AND    NEWFOUNDLAND  569 

SAMUEL  FINLEY. 

Samuel  Finley  was  born  at  Drumclamph  House,  County  Tyrone, 
Ireland,  June  21,  1827,  and  died  September  i,  1903,  in  Montreal. 
After  his  education  at  a  private  school  he  commenced  a  business 
career  at  Londonderry  with  his  cousin,  Sir  William  McArthur, 
later  becoming  a  partner  and  removing  to  London  to  manage  the 
export  Australian  business  of  the  firm.  In  1852  he  emigrated  to 
Australia  and  in  Melbourne  opened  a  wholesale  dry  goods  business 
under  the  name  of  Samuel  Finley  &  Co.  He  visited  England  in 
i860,  while  there  marrying  a  Miss  Emma  Gault,  of  Montreal,  and 
in  1865  retired  from  his  Melbourne  business  to  come  to  Montreal, 
Canada.  Here  he  joined  the  firm  of  Gault  Bros.  &  Co.  with  which 
he  was  associated  for  a  number  of  years. 

Highly  successful  in  his  business  career,  he  was  well  to  do,  and 
both  before  and  after  his  retirement  from  active  commercial  pur- 
suits he  gave  liberally  of  his  time  and  money  to  aid  charitable 
and  educational  work.  He  was  honorary  treasurer  and  a  governor 
of  McGill  University ;  treasurer  and  governor  of  the  Wesleyan 
Theological  College,  a  member  of  the  Protestant  Board  of  Public 
Instruction,  and  a  member  of  the  Committee  of  Management 
of  the  Montreal  General  Hospital.  He  was  ever  greatly  interested 
in  the  Protestant  Hospital  for  Insane,  and  was  a  member  of  one  of 
the  earliest  delegations  sent  to  Quebec  to  interest  the  government 
in  the  project  of  its  establishment.  A  member  of  its  Board  of 
Management  for  many  years,  he  was  elected  president  in  1900, 
serving  well  and  ably  as  such  until  his  untimely  death  in  1903. 

DR.  JACQUES  FREMONT. 

Dr.  Fremont  was  born  at  Quebec,  October  17,  1806,  and  died  on 
board  the  steamship  "  Bohemian  "  between  Liverpool  and  Port- 
land, Me.,  on  December  20,  1862.  His  remains  were  interred  at 
Quebec  on  the  31st  of  the  same  month.  Dr.  Fremont  had  been  the 
chief  assistant  of  Dr.  Douglas  in  his  surgical  operations  for  many 
years,  and  in  the  organization  of  the  Beauport  Asylum  became  one 
of  his  partners  in  the  institution.  This  connection  continued  up  to 
the  time  of  Dr.  Fremont's  death. 


570  INSTITUTIONAL   CAKE   OF   THE   INSANE 

DR.  GEORGE  A.  HETHERINGTON. 

Dr.  George  A.  Hetherington  was  born  at  Johnston,  N.  B., 
March  17,  1851,  and  died  suddenly  June  14,  191 1,  aged  60,  at  St. 
John,  N.  B.,  in  which  city  the  greater  part  of  his  professional  life 
had  been  spent.  His  primary  and  collegiate  education  completed, 
he  taught  school  for  a  short  time,  but  soon  after  followed  his 
natural  bent  to  pursue  medical  study,  and  attended  two  years  at  the 
University  of  Michigan.  While  thus  engaged  he  received  an 
appointment  on  the  staff  of  the  Washtenaw  County  Asylum,  and 
there  gleaned  his  first  knowledge  of  the  practical  care  of  the 
insane,  and  the  study  of  psychiatry.  He  then  completed  his  med- 
ical course  in  the  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  Cincinnati,  O., 
graduating  in  1875.  Postgraduate  study  in  the  New  York  Clinic 
followed,  after  which  the  young  man  returned  to  his  native  heath 
and  practiced  medicine  successfully  for  about  five  years.  At  this 
time  he  took  a  further  course  of  study  in  his  chosen  profession  at 
the  Royal  Infirmary,  Edinburgh,  and  the  Rotunda,  Dublin,  which 
lasted  for  some  months,  he  returning  to  St.  John  in  1882,  where 
he  resumed  practice  for  many  years.  In  1896  he  received  the 
appointment  of  medical  superintendent  of  the  Provincial  Hospital 
for  the  Insane  at  St.  John,  which  position  he  held  until  1904,  when 
he  reluctantly  resigned  owing  to  ill  health.  During  his  superin- 
tendency  the  affairs  of  the  hospital  were  on  a  high  plane,  the  insti- 
tution being  administered  along  modem  lines,  both  in  its  medical 
and  executive  spheres.  After  his  retirement  he  remained  in  St. 
John  until  his  untimely  death,  though  less  able  actively  to  continue 
practice,  which  indeed  his  ill  health  would  not  permit.  Although 
his  life  was  a  busy  one,  he  was  prominent  in  many  societies,  being 
a  life  member  of  the  British  Medical  Society,  Fellow  of  the  British 
Gynaecological  Society,  past  chancellor  in  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
a  32d  degree  Mason,  and  paymaster  of  the  62d  Regiment  for  many 
years  with  the  rank  of  captain. 

DR.  CHARLES  ERASTUS  HICKEY. 

Dr.  Hickey,  who  on  the  resignation  of  Dr.  McNicholl,  had  been 
appointed  medical  superintendent  of  the  Hospital  for  Insane  at 
Cobourg,  Ont.,  died  quite  suddenly  on  September  19,  1908,  at 
the  age  of  68  years.    He  graduated  as  B.  A.  from  Victoria  College 


DR.  JOHN  WADDELL. 


DR.  J.   T.  STEEVES. 


DR.   G.  A.  HETHERINGTON. 


DR.  JOHN  MACKIESON. 


44 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    CANADA   AND    NEWFOUNDLAND  5/1 

in  1863,  and  as  M.  D.,  C.  M.  from  McGill  University  in  1866.  He 
began  practice  in  the  town  of  Morrisburg,  Ont.,  where  he  attained 
a  high  position  in  the  professional,  social  and  public  life  of  the 
district,  representing  for  a  number  of  years  the  county  of  Dundas 
in  the  Dominion  parliament.  Dr.  Hickey  worked  energetically 
during  his  too  short  (three  years)  time  in  charge  and  did  much  for 
the  improvement  of  the  institution.  Ht  was  widely  read  in  his 
professional  work,  and  was  highly  esteemed  by  his  confreres  for 
his  ability,  his  sound  judgment  and  his  true,  manly  spirit. 

DR.  HENRY  HOWARD. 

Dr.  Henry  Howard  was  born  in  Tipperary,  Ireland,  in  181 5, 
and  received  his  degree  in  London  in  1838.  In  1842  he  came  to 
Canada  and  settled  on  Amherst  Island,  near  Kingston,  but  subse- 
quently removed  to  Kingston,  and  later  to  Montreal.  In  1861  he 
was  appointed  medical  superintendent  of  St.  Johns  Asylum,  which 
at  first  was  opened  in  the  old  military  barracks  at  Fort  St.  Johns. 
These  had  been  relinquished  by  the  imperial  authorities  and  given 
to  the  western  part  of  Quebec  to  be  converted  into  a  provincial 
asylum.  He  was  appointed  in  June,  1861,  and  had  about  completed 
arrangements  for  filling  the  old  fort  with  patients  when,  owing  to 
the  Trent  affair,  it  was  thought  advisable  to  re-convert  the  asylum 
into  a  fort.  Another  institution  was  accordingly  fitted  up  in  an 
old  building  formerly  used  as  a  court  house  and  was  occupied  in 
the  following  August. 

The  difficulties  which  he  encountered  in  the  effort  to  care  for 
patients  are  detailed  in  another  place.^  It  is  the  universal  opinion 
that  almost  single-handed,  with  very  inadequate  buildings,  he 
maintained  the  hospital  until  1875,  when  it  was  closed  and  the 
patients  were  transferred  to  Longue  Pointe.  At  this  time  he  was 
appointed  government  visiting  physician.  In  1880  difficulties 
arose  because  he  reported  to  the  Sister  Superior  that  several 
patients,  in  his  opinion,  had  recovered  and  recommended  their 
discharge.  His  recommendation  was  disregarded  but  he  was 
supported  in  an  appeal  which  he  made  to  the  Provincial  Secre- 
tary. The  discharge  of  patients  being  still  refused,  it  became 
necessary  to  resort  to  civil  authority  to  have  the  mandate  obeyed. 

^  See  History  of  St.  Johns  Asylum,  this  volume,  page  270. 


572  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

At  this  time  Dr.  Tuke  made  a  report  on  the  asylums  of  Canada 
and  was  especially  severe  upon  the  asylum  at  Longue  Pointe. 
As  a  result  of  the  agitation  which  followed  and  the  protest  of 
the  Montreal  Medical  Society,  an  act  was  passed  in  1885  under 
which  Dr.  Howard  was  appointed  first  medical  superintendent, 
with  highly  increased  powers.  The  difficulty,  however,  was  not 
wholly  adjusted  during  Dr.  Howard's  life.  He  died  on  October 
12,  1887. 

He  was  a  close  student  of  mental  diseases  and  showed  great 
force  of  character  and  was  highly  esteemed  by  all.  He  published 
a  little  work  entitled  "  Criminal  Responsibility,"  which  was  highly 
commended. 

He  was  bright  and  interesting  in  conversation  and  made  many 
warm  friends. 

DR.  HENRY  LANDOR. 

Dr.  Henry  Landor  was  a  descendant  of  an  old  English  family 
whose  name  became  historical  through  the  literary  genius  and 
works  of  his  cousin,  the  celebrated  Walter  Savage  Landor.  He 
was  born  in  the  Island  of  Anglesey,  in  Wales,  in  181 5.  He  spent 
his  early  boyhood  in  Liverpool,  where  he  received  his  education 
under  Dr.  Prince.  When  he  left  school  he  went  to  Stockport  to 
become  an  articled  pupil  to  Mr.  Richard  Flint,  surgeon  to  the 
Stockport  Infirmary.  Later  he  proceeded  to  London,  and  con- 
tinued his  studies  at  the  Aldergate  School  of  Medicine,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  the  session  of  1835-36,  receiving  certificates  of 
honor  and  the  silver  medal  awarded  in  surgery. 

In  the  year  1837  he  became  a  member  of  the  Royal  College  of 
Surgeons,  England,  and  a  licentiate  of  the  Society  of  Apothecaries, 
London.  He  spent  some  time  in  walking  the  hospitals,  after  which 
he  settled  in  private  practice,  until  1841,  when  he  received  an 
appointment  as  stipendiary  magistrate  in  Australia,  where  he  re- 
sided for  six  years  and  then  returned  to  England. 

In  1847  he  was  appointed  colonial  surgeon  to  the  British  forts 
on  the  Gold  Coast  of  Africa.  In  1849  ^^  had  an  attack  of  perni- 
cious malarial  fever  and  was  obliged  to  return  immediately  to 
England.  He  was  carried  on  board  ship  in  a  state  of  insensibility, 
with  little  hope  that  he  would  survive,  and  reached  England  in 
a  painfully  debilitated  condition.     The  invigorating  change  of 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    CANADA   AND    NEWFOUNDLAND  573 

climate  gradually  restored  him  to  health  and  strength.  During  his 
convalescence  he  wrote  a  pamphlet  entitled  "  The  Only  Way  to 
Stop  the  Slave  Trade,"  which  was  favorably  received  by  the  public 
and  had  a  large  circulation. 

When  he  recovered  his  health  he  entered  upon  the  study  of 
insanity,  with  the  view  of  making  it  a  professional  specialty,  and 
in  1850  became  resident  physician  to  the  Higham  Retreat  (private 
asylum)  at  Norwich,  County  of  Norfolk.  Here  he  remained  for 
nearly  lo  years,  pursuing  his  specialty,  engaging  in  various  scien- 
tific studies,  notably  geology  and  chemistry,  and  contributing  occa- 
sional articles  to  the  press.  During  this  time  he  contributed  to 
the  Proceedings  of  the  Royal  Geographical  Society  a  paper  on 
the  probable  condition  of  the  interior  of  Australia.  In  1859  ^^ 
became  a  member  of  the  Royal  College  of  Physicians,  Edinburgh. 
He  came  to  Canada  in  the  fall  of  i860  and  settled  in  London, 
Canada  West,  now  the  province  of  Ontario,  engaging  in  private 
general  practice  until  1868,  when  he  was  appointed  medical  super- 
intendent of  the  Maiden  Lunatic  Asylum  at  Amherstburg. 

Two  years  later,  when  the  Maiden  Asylum  was  closed  because 
the  new  buildings  at  London  were  ready  for  patients,  he  was 
tendered  the  superintendency  of  the  London  Asylum,  and  removed 
thither  in  the  fall  of  1870,  and  remained  until  his  death  in  1877. 
The  admirable  order,  discipline  and  working  condition  in  which 
he  left  the  institution  bear  ample  testimony  to  the  zeal  and  fidelity 
of  his  unremitting  labors.  He  was  a  true,  though  unostentatious, 
philanthropist.  His  constant  aim  appeared  to  be  the  good  of  his 
fellow  creatures.  Endowed  by  nature  with  more  than  average 
mental  ability,  with  advantages  of  a  good  professional  training, 
a  close  thinker  and  shrewd  observer  in  a  wide  field  of  observation, 
he  was  accustomed  to  form  his  own  opinions  and  was  ready  to 
give  a  reason  for  the  faith  that  was  in  him. 

He  died  of  diabetes  mellitus  on  January  6,  1877. 

JOHN  WOODBURN  LANGMUIR. 

Mr.  Langmuir,  at  one  time  Inspector  of  Prisons  and  Public 
Charities  for  the  Province  of  Ontario,  being  the  first  to  occupy 
that  position  after  Confederation,  was  born  at  Warwick  Mains, 
Ayrshire,  Scotland,  November  6,  1835,  and  died  at  Toronto,  Ont., 


574  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

May  12,  191 5,  in  his  8 1  St  year.  Educated  at  Osborne's  Academy, 
Kilmarnock,  he  came  to  Canada  in  1849,  and  engaged  in  business 
in  Picton,  Ont.,  until  1868,  being  mayor  of  the  town  (1858)  and 
serving  as  major  during  the  Fenian  Raid  of  1866,  receiving  the 
military  medal  therefor.  He  was  appointed  Inspector  of  Asylums 
in  1868,  ably  filling  the  post  for  14  years.  During  his  term  of 
office  many  new  public  institutions  were  established,  and  his  wise 
counsel  and  efficient  supervision  aided  largely  in  placing  the 
Ontario  asylum  service  on  its  present  excellent  footing.  In  1882  he 
resigned  his  position  under  the  government  to  associate  himself 
with  a  number  of  prominent  gentlemen  in  the  formation  of  the 
Toronto  General  Trusts  Corporation,  the  pioneer  trust  company 
of  Canada,  becoming  general  manager  and  vice-president  of  the 
organization.  As  chairman  (1890)  of  the  Royal  Commission  to 
inquire  into  the  working  of  prisons,  reformatories,  houses  of  cor- 
rection and  the  like  in  Ontario,  his  services  were  of  much  value  in 
the  realm  of  social  reforms.  He  likewise  served  in  the  valuable 
capacity  of  chairman  of  Queen  Victoria  Niagara  Falls  Park  Com- 
mission from  its  organization  in  1885,  and  in  the  20  years  he  was 
connected  with  this  work  accomplished  much  in  the  way  of  improv- 
ing the  environment  of  the  great  cataract.  As  president  of  the 
Homewood  Sanitarium,  a  private  institution  for  the  insane,  estab- 
lished at  Guelph,  Ont.,  in  1883,  he  also  did  much  useful  work.  In 
1906  he  was  appointed  on  a  Royal  Commission  to  inquire  into 
life  insurance  in  Canada,  and  was  one  of  the  promoters  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  and  Yukon  Railway  and  Navigation  Co. 

DR.  STEPHEN  LETT. 

Dr.  Stephen  Lett,  who  died  October  11,  1905,  was  a  son  of  the 
Rev.  Stephen  Lett,  LL.  D.,  D.  D.,  of  the  County  of  Wicklow,  Ire- 
land, and  later  of  Toronto  and  Collingwood.  He  was  born  at 
Callan,  Kilkenny,  Ireland,  April  4,  1847,  and  was  educated  at 
Upper  Canada  College,  Toronto.  He  became  a  member  of  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  1870  and  took  his  degrees 
at  Toronto  University. 

For  many  years  he  filled  the  position  of  assistant  medical  super- 
intendent in  London  and  Toronto  asylums,  leaving  Toronto  in  Jan- 
uary, 1884,  to  become  superintendent  of  the  Homewood  Sanitarium 
at  Guelph. 


-^i.lWf'^f^  * 


J.  W.  LANGMUIR. 


DR.  DANIEL  CLARK. 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    CANADA   AND    NEWFOUNDLAND  575 

In  the  fall  of  1901  he  developed  general  paresis,  which  ended 
fatally  in  October,  1905. 

Dr.  Lett  was  well  known  all  through  Canada  as  an  alienist  of 
many  accomplishments  and  enjoyed  a  well-deserved  popularity. 
No  doubt  if  he  had  remained  in  the  Ontario  service  he  would  have 
become  the  head  of  one  of  the  provincial  hospitals,  but  as  events 
proved  he  did  an  excellent  work  by  founding  the  first  private 
asylum  of  any  importance  in  the  Province  of  Ontario. 

PETER  LYALL. 

Peter  Lyall  was  born  at  Castletown,  Caithness-shire,  Scotland, 
in  1841 ;  he  died  at  Montreal,  November  14,  1912.  Receiving  his 
education  in  Scotland,  he  gained  a  practical  knowledge  of  contract- 
ing in  his  native  land,  and  at  the  age  of  29  came  to  Canada,  settling 
in  Montreal.  After  six  years  in  association  with  his  cousin,  Peter 
Nicholson,  a  well-known  contractor  of  Montreal,  Mr.  Lyall 
embarked  in  business  for  himself  and  five  years  later  with  his  five 
sons  formed  the  firm  of  Peter  Lyall  &  Sons,  general  contractors, 
which  was  destined  to  become  one  of  the  largest  ventures  of  its 
kind  in  the  Dominion. 

A  thorough  Scotchman,  Mr.  Lyall  was  an  exemplar  of  the 
truest  Scottish  characteristics.  Not  excluding  a  keen  regard  for 
the  humanities,  shrewd  and  economical  in  the  best  sense,  indus- 
trious, and  "  canny,"  yet  he  ever  had  a  ready  ear  for  the  cry  of  the 
needy  and  the  helpless  of  body,  or  the  afflicted  in  mind.  He  was 
president  of  the  Western  Hospital,  Montreal,  for  many  years,  and 
helped  liberally  with  its  finances.  Mr.  Lyall's  name  first  appears  as 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Management  of  the  Protestant  Hos- 
pital for  Insane  in  1892,  and  he  continued  his  interest  in  the  insti- 
tution until  his  death ;  he  was  elected  vice-president  of  its  govern- 
ing body  in  1901,  and  on  the  death  of  Mr.  James  Wilson,  in  1905, 
was  unanimously  chosen  president.  His  occupancy  of  the  presi- 
dential chair  was  replete  with  many  advances  in  the  hospital's 
affairs,  considerable  expansion  and  general  progress,  no  small 
part  of  which  was  due  to  his  far-seeing  advice  and  capable  admin- 
istrative qualities. 
45 


576  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE    OF   THE   INSANE 

DR.  JOHN  MACKIESON. 

Dr.  Mackieson  was  the  first  superintendent  to  take  charge  of 
the  orig-inal  lunatic  asylum  of  Prince  Edward  Island.  He  was 
bom  October  16,  1795,  in  Stirlingshire,  Scotland,  and  educated 
at  the  University  of  Glasgow,  receiving  his  diploma  as  M.  D. 
November  15,  1815.  He  was  a  fine  classical  scholar,  and  also 
spoke  French  and  German  fluently.  After  practicing  his  profes- 
sion, first  in  Stirling  and  then  in  Liverpool,  he  resolved  to  come  to 
Canada,  and  sailed  for  Prince  Edward  Island  in  the  brig  "  Relief," 
arriving  at  Charlottetown  November  15,  1816.  Here  he  soon 
acquired  an  extensive  practice,  and  in  1840  was  appointed  health 
officer  of  the  city.  Elected  superintendent  of  the  new  lunatic 
asylum  in  1846,  he  continued  in  ofiice  until  1874,  when  he  retired 
after  nearly  28  years'  service.  Dr.  Mackieson  always  took  a  great 
interest  in  military  affairs,  being  appointed  assistant  surgeon  of 
the  tenth  battalion  in  1817,  and  subsequently  (1822)  its  surgeon  by 
Lieutenant-Governor  Charles  Douglas  Smith;  while  by  order  of 
the  Militia  General  Headquarters,  he,  in  1848,  became  surgeon- 
general  of  the  militia  forces  of  the  province.  After  his  retirement 
from  the  asylum,  he  continued  in  private  practice  in  Charlottetown 
until  his  death  in  the  latter  part  of  1885. 

GEORGE  MATTHEW. 

George  Matthew,  although  a  layman,  was  the  first  superin- 
tendent of  the  first  Canadian  Asylum  proper,  that  of  New  Bruns- 
wick. He  was  of  Scotch-Irish  parentage,  his  father  being  a  ship- 
master from  the  port  of  Dumfries,  Scotland,  his  mother  from 
Cork,  Ireland.  Emigrating  to  St.  John,  N.  B.,  his  father  there 
held  the  office  of  harbor-master,  and  there  the  subject  of  this  notice 
was  born,  on  February  i,  1795.  After  receiving  a  good  education 
in  his  native  city,  he  became  a  mill  owner  and  merchant,  but  was 
caught  in  the  financial  disaster  consequent  on  the  removal  of  the 
protection  which  Great  Britain  had  accorded  to  her  colonies  in 
early  times.  The  removal  of  the  protection  on  timber  and  lumber, 
which  Quebec  and  the  Maritime  Provinces  of  British  North 
America  had  enjoyed,  allowed  the  free  competition  of  Scandinavia 
and  Russia  and  led  to  great  financial  losses  to  merchants  in  New 
Brunswick  and  elsewhere,  including  the  subject  of  this  sketch.    On 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN   CANADA  AND   NEWFOUNDLAND  577 

the  opening  of  the  temporary  lunatic  asylum,  in  1835,  Mr.  Matthew, 
who  had  previously  been  in  charge  of  the  Poors'  Asylum  where  a 
number  of  lunatics  were  confined,  was  made  superintendent,  with 
Dr.  Peters  as  visiting  physician.  Later  (1843)  he  became  one  of  a 
board  of  three  commissioners  who  were  placed  in  charge  of  the 
establishment.  His  connection  with  the  institution  was  main- 
tained up  to  1844,  when  he  retired.  Mr.  Matthew's  reports,  made 
during  his  incumbency  of  office,  are,  where  obtainable,  interesting 
in  the  extreme.  Unfortunately  that  for  1837,  which  gave  a  history 
of  the  asylum,  is  lost;  being  in  manuscript  only  it  was  probably, 
with  many  other  old  and  valuable  documents,  destroyed  during 
the  great  fire  of  1877.  In  his  report  for  1874,  Dr.  Waddell,  then 
medical  superintendent,  in  a  brief  resume  of  the  history  of  the 
hospital  pays  the  following  tribute  to  Mr.  Matthew,  who  died  in 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  on  May  23,  1883,  at  the  age  of  89  years: 

It  is  here  only  proper  to  record  that  much  credit  is  due  to  Mr.  George 
Matthew,  for  his  energetic  exertion  on  behalf  of  the  insane — and  especially 
of  the  poor  of  that  class  of  sufferers — as  an  overseer  of  the  poor  and 
superintendent  and  commissioner  of  the  temporary  asylum.  His  benevolent 
labors  lie  at  the  very  basis  of  all  that  has  since  been  done  to  ameliorate 
the  condition  of  the  insane,  and  they  should  not  be  overlooked  or  forgotten. 

DR.  THOMAS  R.  McINNES. 

His  Honor  Thomas  R.  Mclnnes,  M.  D.,  Lieutenant-Governor  of 
British  Columbia,  was  the  son  of  John  Mclnnes,  a  native  of 
Inverness,  Scotland.  He  was  born  at  Lake  Ainslie,  N.  S.,  Novem- 
ber 5,  1840,  and  was  educated  at  the  Provincial  Normal  School, 
Truro,  N.  S.  He  studied  medicine  at  Harvard  University  and  at 
Rush  Medical  College,  Chicago,  graduating  M.  D.  in  1869.  In  the 
same  year  he  was  admitted  a  member  of  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons,  Ont.  He  practiced  for  some  years  at  Dresden,  Ont., 
but  removed  to  New  Westminster,  B.  C,  where  he  at  once  entered 
into  a  large  and  lucrative  practice.  Appointed  medical  superin- 
tendent of  the  insane  asylum  January  i,  1879,  ^^  remained  in  office 
up  to  1883,  when  he  resigned.  He  was  also  for  five  years  physician 
and  surgeon  to  the  Royal  Columbia  Hospital,  and  sat  for  New 
Westminster  in  the  House  of  Commons  from  1878  to  1881,  when  he 
was  called  to  the  Senate  by  the  Governor-General,  the  Marquis  of 
Lome.     In  November,  1897,  he  was  appointed  Lieutenant-Gov- 


578  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE    OF   THE    INSANE 

ernor  of  British  Columbia.  As  a  public  man  he  favored  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  Dominion  mint,  the  political  disenfranchisement  of 
the  civil  service,  and  compulsory  voting.  He  was  the  first  member 
of  either  the  Senate  or  the  Commons  to  advocate  on  the  public 
platform  unrestricted  reciprocity  with  the  United  States.  His 
death  occurred  at  Victoria,  B.  C,  March  15,  1904. 

DR.  W.  G.  METCALF. 

Dr.  W.  G.  Metcalf  was  born  in  1847,  i^  the  town  of  Uxbridge, 
Ont.  He  began  asylum  life  in  Toronto  on  August  7,  1871,  as 
clinical  assistant  to  Dr.  Workman,  and  laid  the  foundation  of  his 
future  success.  In  1874  he  left  Toronto  Asylum  to  engage  in 
private  practice,  but  shortly  after  returned  to  become  assistant 
medical  superintendent,  which  position  he  filled  until  June,  1877, 
when  he  was  transferred  to  a  similar  post  in  the  London  Asylum. 
In  April,  1878,  he  was  placed  in  temporary  charge  of  Kingston 
Asylum  during  the  illness  of  Dr.  Dickson,  and  when  the  latter 
retired  from  service,  was  appointed  medical  superintendent,  a 
position  he  continued  to  occupy  until  he  fell  at  his  post  of  duty. 

On  the  morning  of  the  13th  of  August,  1885,  while  making 
his  usual  round  in  company  with  his  assistant,  he  was  fatally 
stabbed  in  the  abdomen  by  a  criminal  lunatic  ;  he  never  rallied  from 
the  shock  and  passed  away  in  peace  on  the  i6th  of  August,  1885. 

As  a  practical  administrator  he  had  few  equals  and  no  superior. 
His  creed  was  taught  him  by  his  well-loved  preceptor.  Dr.  ^^"ork- 
man,  and  its  prominent  characteristic  was  "  my  patients  first."  He 
was  an  enthusiastic  worker  and  a  believer  in  details,  sparing  no 
pains  to  master  every  point  in  connection  with  any  labor  he  under- 
took, and  his  genius  for  mechanics  rendered  him  particularly 
efficient  as  a  practical  manager  of  asylum  aft'airs.  His  prominent 
mental  characteristics  were  earnestness,  sincerity  and  love  of 
justice.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  a  firm  believer  in  non- 
restraint,  although  when  he  adopted  this  system  on  trial  three 
years  before  he  was  convinced  that  non-restraint  could  not  be 
carried  out.  He  never  forgot  that  insane  patients  are  human 
beings  and  at  all  times  had  a  pleasant  smile  and  kind  word  for 
those  under  his  care.  As  he  lived,  so  he  died,  thoughtful  of  all 
but  himself ;  as  he  felt  the  near  approach  of  death,  he  summoned 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    CANADA   AND    NEWFOUNDLAND  579 

his  officers  to  his  bedside  and  bade  each  one  an  affectionate  fare- 
well, with  almost  his  last  breath  saying,  "  Wish  the  attendants 
good-bye  for  me  and  tell  them  my  hope  is  that  they  will  all  con- 
tinue their  work  patiently  and  perseveringly."  No  murmur  of 
reproach  for  his  sad  fate  escaped  his  lips — the  painful  injury  was 
borne  with  heroic  fortitude  and  he  died  in  his  private  office  as 
most  brave  men  wish  to  die,  at  the  post  of  duty. 

Modestly  he  lived,  bravely  he  died,  and  by  deed,  not  words,  built 
for  himself  a  monument  more  lasting  than  brass. 

DR.  THOMAS  J.  MOHER. 

Thomas  J.  Moher,  medical  superintendent  of  the  Hospital  for 
Insane  at  Cobourg,  Can.,  died  at  his  residence  February  24, 
1914. 

He  was  a  son  of  William  Moher,  ex-Reeve  of  Douro,  where 
he  was  born.  He  was  educated  at  Lakefield,  Peterborough  and 
Toronto  universities.  After  graduating  in  medicine  he  began 
practice  in  Peterborough.  He  afterwards  moved  to  Trenton, 
where  he  carried  on  his  profession  very  successfully.  Returning 
to  Peterborough  he  practiced  in  that  city  for  several  years,  and  was 
superintendent  of  St.  Joseph's  Hospital,  coroner  for  the  county, 
medical  examiner  for  the  C.  M.  B.  A.  and  the  Catholic  Order  of 
Foresters,  and  first  president  of  St.  Peter's  Total  Abstinence 
Society. 

In  1902  he  was  appointed  assistant  superintendent  of  the  Orillia 
Hospital  for  Feeble-Minded.  Two  years  later  he  was  made 
medical  superintendent  of  the  Hospital  for  Insane  at  Brockville. 
He  was  transferred  to  the  Cobourg  Hospital  for  the  Insane  as 
superintendent  in  1910,  where  he  remained  until  his  death. 

He  wrote  many  interesting  papers  for  the  bulletin  of  the  Ontario 
Hospitals  for  the  Insane. 

In  June,  1908,  he  read  a  paper  entitled,  "  Insanity,  the  General 
Public  and  the  General  Practitioner,"  at  the  meeting  of  the  Cana- 
dian Medical  Association  in  Ottawa.  In  June,  1909,  he  read  a 
paper  on  the  "  Employment  of  Women  Nurses  on  the  Men's 
Wards  in  a  Hospital  for  the  Insane,"  at  a  meeting  of  the  American 
Medico-Psychological  Association  in  Atlantic  City. 


580  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

Dr.  Moher  possessed  a  peculiarly  genial,  friendly  personality 
which  endeared  him  to  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact,  and 
he  was  popular  wherever  he  went. 

His  sympathy  and  tenderness  towards  his  patients  were  unfail- 
ing and  his  death  was  keenly  felt  by  them. 

DR.  ALFRED  MORIN. 

Dr.  Morin,  son  of  Toussaint  Morin,  merchant,  was  born  at  Bale 
St.  Paul,  Que.,  May  12,  1861.  After  a  brilhant  course  at  Chicou- 
timi  Seminary,  he  attended  Laval  University  and  was  granted  a 
license  to  practice  medicine  in  1888.  Some  months  aftenvard 
he  became  totally  blind,  as  the  result  of  an  accident  which  had 
occurred  to  him  at  school.  Such  a  misfortune  would  have  ordina- 
rily spoiled  a  young  doctor's  career,  but  not  so  in  this  case.  After 
the  first  shock  was  over,  Dr.  Morin  gave  himself  up  all  the  more 
completely  to  his  profession,  which  he  practiced  devotedly  and 
patiently.  Though  deprived  of  sight,  and  with  hearing  slightly 
defective,  his  medical  career  was  successful  in  the  extreme.  His 
reputation  as  a  capable  physician  influenced  Rev.  Father  Fafard 
to  have  him  appointed  medical  officer  in  charge  of  his  Bale  St. 
Paul  Hospital.  From  1889  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  April  2, 
1902,  he  gave  whole-heartedly  and  devotedly  the  benefit  of  his  skill 
to  the  sick  of  the  institution ;  he  would  even  put  himself  out  day 
and  night  for  the  sake  of  a  poor  idiot  with  as  much  care  as  though 
he  were  treating  an  intelligent  person  and  expecting  a  large  fee. 
His  death  was  universally  mourned,  and  his  memor}'^  is  still  green 
where  he  was  so  often  called  upon  to  minister  to  the  afflicted. 

DR.  JOSEPH  MORRIN. 

Dr.  Morrin,  one  of  Quebec's  foremost  physicians  in  the  early 
part  of  the  nineteenth  century,  was  a  partner  of  Dr.  Douglas  in  the 
creation  of  the  Quebec  Lunatic  Asylum,  in  1845.  The  place  and 
date  of  his  birth  seem  to  be  unascertainable,  but  his  medical  degrees 
were  taken  in  the  London  and  Edinburgh  universities  and  he  rose 
to  high  eminence  in  his  profession,  as  well  as  taking  a  prominent 
part  in  public  affairs,  being  twice  elected  mayor  of  Quebec.  He 
was  one  of  the  three  original  governors  of  the  Quebec  Marine  and 
Emigrant  Hospital,  where  the  first  medical  lectures  ever  given 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    CANADA   AND    NEWFOUNDLAND  58 1 

in  the  province  were  delivered  in  1837.  The  first  Canadian  Med- 
ical Society,  known  as  the  Quebec  Medical  Society,  was  started  in 
that  city  with  Dr.  Morrin  as  its  first  president.  Morrin  College 
was  founded  by  him,  and  in  1831  he  was  elected  honorary  librarian 
to  the  Literary  and  Historical  Society  of  Quebec,  which  was  origi- 
nated by  His  Excellency  the  Earl  of  Dalhousie  in  1824.  Dr. 
Morrin's  connection  with  the  Quebec  (Beauport)  Lunatic  Asylum 
extended  up  to  i860  when  he  disposed  of  his  interest  in  the  estab- 
lishment to  Drs.  Douglas  and  Fremont.  His  death  occurred  in  the 
city  for  which  he  had  done  so  much  on  August  29,  1861,  at  the  age 
of  (yj  years. 

DR.  JOHN  BERNARD  MURPHY. 

John  Bernard  Murphy,  medical  superintendent  of  the  Asylum 
for  the  Insane  at  Brockville,  Ont.,  died  very  suddenly  January 
17,  1904. 

He  was  born  in  Peterborough  County,  Ont.,  March  31,  1850, 
and  was  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  the  54th  year  of  his  age.  He 
was  educated  at  Norwood  High  School  and  at  St.  Michael's  Col- 
lege, Toronto,  before  entering  upon  his  professional  studies.  He 
graduated  in  medicine,  the  prize  man  of  his  year,  at  Queen's  Uni- 
versity, 1876.  He  began  the  practice  of  medicine  at  Belleville, 
Ont.,  and  continued  a  successful  career  with  a  large  clientele  until 
the  year  1890,  when  he  became  resident  physician  at  Mimico 
Asylum.  In  1894,  when  the  asylum  was  opened  at  Brockville, 
he  was  promoted  to  be  medical  superintendent,  a  position  which 
he  held  until  his  death. 

DR.  GEORGE  HAMILTON  PARK. 

According  to  the  record  Dr.  George  Hamilton  Park  appeared 
before  the  Upper  Canada  Medical  Board,  April,  1834.  "  The 
Board  is  (was)  perfectly  satisfied  by  his  examination  and  grants 
him  a  certificate  to  that  effect."  He  was  a  native  of  Canada,  where 
or  when  born  is  not  known,  the  son  of  Captain  Park,  a  veteran  of 
1812.  Like  most  natives  of  that  period,  and  even  of  subsequent 
times,  he  did  not  enjoy  the  opportunities  of  acquiring  a  good 
primary  education.  But  in  the  study  of  medicine  he  was  for- 
tunate in  having  the  instruction  and  guidance  of  the  prince  of 


582  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

Canadian  medical  teachers,  Dr.  John  Rolph.  After  obtaining  his 
license  he  practiced  at  Simcoe  for  seven  or  eight  years.  He  also 
practiced  at  Ancaster.  He  married  a  sister  of  Dr.  Rolph,  and 
through  the  doctor's  influence  was,  in  1848,  appointed  superin- 
tendent of  the  Toronto  Lunatic  Asylum. 

Dr.  Park  received  a  complimentary  address  on  leaving  Simcoe, 
signed  by  upwards  of  200  persons.  It  is  dated  August  28,  1848. 
The  address  says,  referring  to  his  appointment :  "  It  is  the  respect 
and  affection  which  your  urbanity  of  manners,  your  liberality  in 
the  promotion  of  public  improvements,  your  generosity  and  bounty 
to  the  poor,  your  honorable  principles  as  a  man,  and  your  acknowl- 
edged skill  as  a  physician,  which  have  so  universally  gained  for 
you  this  regard  of  the  community." 

But  Dr.  Park,  before  many  months,  found  that  his  position  was 
a  bed  of  thorns. 

Had  he  had  a  fair  chance,  it  is  believed  that  he  would  have  well 
succeeded  in  discharging  the  duties  of  the  office.  While  at  the 
Toronto  Asylum  he  was  liked  by  the  inmates,  which  is  no  mean 
criterion.  Dr.  Park,  for  a  time,  was  lecturer  on  anatomy  at 
Rolph's  School.  He  finally  settled  at  Ancaster,  where  he  died. 
The  date  of  his  death  is  not  given. 

ALFRED  PERRY. 

Alfred  Perry,  born  in  1820  in  Wiltshire,  England,  died  in  Outre- 
mont,  a  suburb  of  Montreal,  on  March  27,  1900.  Emigrating  to 
Canada  with  his  parents  as  a  lad  of  12,  the  family  came  to  Mon- 
treal, the  father  soon  being  struck  down  with  cholera  then  raging 
in  the  city,  leaving  young  Perry  fatherless,  but  with  a  devoted 
mother  to  guide  him  through  his  early  years.  The  lad  took  up 
the  trade  of  cabinet-maker,  but  abandoned  it  to  join  the  militia 
when  the  rebellion  of  1837  broke  out.  Here  he  rendered  signal 
service,  volunteering  for  more  than  one  unusually  hazardous  duty. 
The  rebellion  having  ended  and  the  Reform  party  coming  into 
power,  the  passage  by  it  of  the  Rebellion  Losses  Bill  aroused 
intense  indignation  among  many  of  those  who  had  volunteered  to 
fight  the  rebels,  as  well  as  the  populace  generally.  This  culminated 
in  rioting  following  the  signing  by  Lord  Elgin  at  the  Parliament 
Buildings  in  Montreal  of  the  obnoxious  bill,  in  1849,  ^^^  rioters. 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    CANADA   AND    NEWFOUNDLAND  583 

headed,  it  is  regrettable  to  state,  by  "  Fred  Perry,"  advancing  on 
the  buildings  and  ere  they  could  be  stopped  wrecking  them  com- 
pletely; fire  broke  out  while  the  demolition  was  in  progress,  and 
soon  the  buildings  were  in  flames,  and  utterly  destroyed.  Mr.  Perry 
and  four  of  his  associates  were  put  under  arrest  charged  with  the 
serious  offences  of  arson  and  treason.  Mr.  Perry  always  contended 
the  burning  of  the  buildings  was  accidental,  resulting  from  the 
breaking  of  a  gas  chandelier,  and  that  nothing  more  than  the 
smashing  of  the  furniture  of  Parliament  was  intended  as  a  protest 
against  the  ill-chosen  piece  of  legislation.  He  and  his  friends  were 
liberated  within  three  days,  later  being  given  a  nominal  trial. 
Perry  le  diahle,  the  sobriquet  given  him  by  his  French-Canadian 
friends,  was  not  entirely  an  honorary  title. 

During  the  ship  fever  of  1847,  which  numbered  its  victims  by 
thousands,  Mr.  Perry  showed  perhaps  the  first  evidence  of  the 
immense  philanthropy  which  actuated  him  all  through  his  long 
life;  his  exertions  on  behalf  of  many  of  these  poor  emigrants 
marked  him  as  a  man,  large  hearted,  unselfish,  "  sans  peur  et  sans 
reproche." 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  idea  of  separate  provision  for  the 
Protestant  insane  in  the  Province  of  Quebec  originated  with  Fred 
Perry,  and  that  chiefly  due  to  his  efforts  was  public  interest 
aroused  in  the  project  of  establishing  the  Protestant  Hospital  for 
the  Insane  at  Verdun.  For  a  number  of  years  he  had  taken  an 
interest  in  the  subject  of  the  care  of  the  insane,  and  had  given 
valuable  assistance  to  Sister  Therese  de  Jesus  (nee  Cleophee  Tetu), 
the  founder  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Asylum  at  Longue  Pointe, 
which  was  opened  in  1875.  Familiar  with  the  conduct  of  this  hos- 
pital, and  giving  the  Sisters  of  Charity  their  full  due  for  their  care 
of  the  insane,  yet  Mr.  Perry  observed  it  was  largely  custodial.  In 
his  attempt  to  remedy  matters  and  secure  more  scientific  methods  in 
the  treatment  of  mental  cases,  which  he  began  about  1875,  ^^• 
Perry  found  that  according  to  the  existing  contracts  between  the 
government  and  the  proprietors  of  the  hospital  at  Longue  Pointe, 
no  change  was  feasible  in  the  methods  of  care  and  treatment  while 
such  contract  operated.  He  then  conceived  the  radical  idea  of 
establishing  another  institution  which  would  care  for  the  Protes- 
tant insane  solely.  In  1880  he  called  the  first  public  meeting  on  the 
subject  and  although  beset  by  great  difficulties,  many  seemingly 


■584  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

insurmountable,  and  restricted  by  the  fact  that  the  plan  required 
considerable  money  which  he  found  exceedingly  hard  to  get  sub- 
scribed, he  neither  stayed  his  efforts,  nor  rested,  till  in  1890  the 
hospital  was  an  accomplished  fact.  He  served  as  a  member  of  its 
Board  of  Management,  and  on  his  retirement,  in  1897,  was  unani- 
mously elected  honorary  president. 

His  interest  in  the  institution  continued  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death,  and  while  his  energetic  and  impulsive  nature  caused  him  to 
make  mistakes  at  times,  they  were  errors  of  judgment,  never  of 
conscience.  His  reputation  for  uprightness,  his  fighting  qualities, 
and  withal  his  unselfishness  rendered  the  community  the  poorer 
by  his  passing,  but  the  institution  which  he  can  truly  be  said  to 
have  fathered,  stands  as  a  monument  to  his  memory  for  all  time. 

DR.  GEORGE  P.  PETERS. 

Dr.  George  P.  Peters,  born  in  St.  John,  August  19,  181 1,  was 
a  son  of  the  Hon.  Charles  J.  Peters,  for  many  years  Attorney- 
General  of  New  Brunswick.  Having  studied  and  obtained  his 
degree  at  Edinburgh  University,  he  returned  to  St.  John,  where 
he  practiced  up  to  the  date  of  his  taking  charge  of  the  Asylum. 
After  his  retirement  he  lived  on  a  farm  which  he  owned  in  Lan- 
caster Parish,  where  he  died  in  1857.  Dr.  Peters  seems  to  have 
been  an  able  administrator,  as  evidenced  by  the  commissioners  in 
their  report  referring  in  complimentary  terms  to  the  efificient 
manner  in  which  the  details  of  the  establishment,  so  far  as  com- 
pleted, had  been  carried  out  by  him.  They  also  gave  him,  in 
addition  to  his  year's  salary,  i5o  for  extra  services  connected  with 
the  commencement  of  laying  out  the  grounds. 

DR.  WILLIAM  REES. 

William  Rees,  M.  D.,  an  EngHshman  by  birth  and  education, 
came  from  England  in  1819  and  commenced  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  Quebec.  Toward  the  close  of  1829  he  went  to  York 
(now  Toronto) ,  and  having  passed  the  examination  of  the  Medical 
Board,  January,  1830,  purchased  the  practice  of  Dr.  Daly.  This 
inscription  appeared  in  the  Upper  Canada  Gazette:  "  Dr.  Rees 
has  taken  rooms,  corner  of  Market  Square,  King  Street.  He  will 
vaccinate  and  give  advice  gratis  to  the  poor,  Monday,  Wednesday 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    CANADA   AND    NEWFOUNDLAND  585 

and  Saturday."  In  1832  he  disposed  of  his  practice  to  Dr.  Grasett 
and  removed  to  Cobourg. 

The  following  card  later  appeared  in  the  Cobourg  Star:  "  Dr. 
Rees,  professionally  educated  in  England,  pupil  of  Sir  Astley 
Cooper,  and  10  years  a  practitioner  in  the  Canadas,  respectfully 
tenders  his  services  to  the  inhabitants  of  Cobourg  and  vicinity. 
October  21,  1832."  But  his  stay  at  Cobourg  was  a  short  one,  and 
he  returned  to  Toronto. 

Dr.  Rees  was  a  many-sided  man.  He  conceived  various  projects 
of  a  scientific  and  benevolent  character.  He  was  regarded  as  of  a 
speculative  rather  than  practical  disposition  and  of  unusual  intelli- 
gence and  public  spirit. 

Mrs.  Jameson,  in  her  entertaining  narrative  of  her  sojourn  in 
Canada,  says  that  Dr.  Rees  entertained  the  idea  of  founding  a 
house  of  reception  for  destitute  female  immigrants,  where,  with- 
out depending  on  charity,  they  might  be  boarded  and  lodged  at  the 
smallest  possible  cost  and  be  respectably  protected  until  employ- 
ment was  obtained. 

He  presented  a  petition  to  Parliament  in  1836  praying  the  grant 
of  a  sum  of  money  for  the  erection  of  a  provincial  museum.  He 
planned  to  establish  in  connection  with  the  museum  a  botanical 
and  zoological  garden  on  a  grant  of  land  on  the  government 
reserve  in  the  western  part  of  the  city.  It,  however,  came  to 
nothing. 

He  was  surgeon  to  the  ist  West  York  Battalion,  1837. 

Another  enterprise  is  indicated  in  the  following : 

To  Medical  Students:  In  pursuance  of  a  plan  for  establishing  a  school 
of  medicine  in  this  city,  Dr.  Rees  proposes  to  deliver  a  course  of  lectures 
on  obstetrics  and  the  diseases  of  women  and  children  on  the  first  Monday 
in  November  next.  Anatomy,  physiology,  surgery,  materia  medica,  the 
principles  and  practice  of  physics,  chemistry  and  medical  botany  are  the 
subjects  which  will  be  comprehended  the  ensuing  season. 

Arrangements  necessary  with  the  other  medical  gentlemen  will  be  de- 
termined by  the  ist  of  October,  when  a  prospectus  and  further  particulars 
may  be  had  on  application  as  above  (postpaid).    Toronto,  August  4,  1834. 

It  is  stated  that  Dr.  Rees  was  also  the  originator  of  the  present 
Toronto  Club. 

Up  to  1 84 1  no  insane  asylum  existed  in  Upper  Canada.  In 
January  of  this  year  the  Provincial  Asylum  was  first  opened  in 
Toronto  by  virtue  of  an  act  passed  in  1839,  largely  through  the 


586  INSTITUTIONAL.  CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

activity  of  Dr.  Rees.  The  provincial  authorities  had  acquired  the 
old  gaol  at  the  east  side  of  Toronto  Street,  north  of  King  Street, 
after  the  new  gaol  in  the  east  end  had  been  completed.  He  was 
the  first  superintendent  of  the  asylum,  which  at  first  had  17 
patients.  This  building  was  soon  densely  filled,  and  it  became 
necessary  to  procure  further  accommodation  for  the  numerous 
applicants  for  admission.  The  eastern  wing  of  the  Parliament 
buildings  was  appropriated  to  this  purpose,  and  subsequently  a 
still  further  addition  was  made  by  the  occupation  of  a  vacant 
house  near  the  old  garrison.  The  three  buildings  were  used  until 
the  present  asylum  was  ready  for  occupation.  Dr.  Rees  held  the 
position  of  superintendent  until  he  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Telfer. 

Dr.  Rees,  notwithstanding  his  evident  ability  and  enterprise, 
unfortunately  seems  to  have  been  wanting  in  a  proper  mental 
balance.  Concerning  his  connection  with  the  Provincial  Lunatic 
Asylum,  the  following  memorandum  was  made  by  a  friend : 

Dr.  Rees  was  a  learned  man  on  some  things,  but  an  eccentric  and  most 
sanguine  man — was  always  considered  flighty  and  never  had  much  practice. 
Through  his  energy  the  first  lunatic  asylum  was  established  in  Toronto, 
and  he  was  appointed  to  the  superintendency  and  management  thereof 
(upon  the  principle,  I  suppose,  of  setting  a  madman  to  watch  a  madman). 
He  was  seriously  injured  by  a  blow  on  the  head  from  one  of  the  patients, 
the  effects  of  which  he  felt  to  his  dying  day.  Very  properly  after  this  he 
was  removed  from  his  position,  and  the  asylum  placed  in  other  and,  un- 
doubtedly, more  able  hands,  ....  But  poor  Rees  never  recovered  from 
the  effects  of  the  step  which,  no  doubt,  the  government  felt  constrained  to 
take.  He  brooded  on  the  injustice  that  he  thought  had  been  done  him, 
and  he  never  ceased  to  mourn  over  the  neglect  that  the  country  had 
shown  him.  In  all  his  madness  he  made  several  good  speculations  in 
land,  but  the  benefit  of  these  was  reaped  by  others. 

Dr.  Rees  repeatedly  applied  for  some  compensation  for  the 
time  he  had  given  in  organizing  the  asylum  and  in  the  sacrifices 
he  had  made  in  connection  therewith.  As  late  as  1869  he 
memorialized  the  government,  but  without  success.  That  his 
application  was  considered  a  just  one  by  some  is  shown  by  the 
following  comments  in  the  Dominion  Medical  Journal: 

We  call  the  attention  of  the  profession  to  the  memorial  of  Dr.  Rees, 
one  of  the  oldest  and  most  respected  practitioners  in  this  province.  His 
case  is  well  known  to  a  large  number  of  medical  men,  who  have  at  various 
times  endeavored  to  obtain  justice  for  him  from  the  government.  All 
he  asks  is  a  proper  recognition  of  his  services,  and  of  the  injuries  which 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    CANADA   AND    NEWFOUNDLAND  587 

he  received  while  discharging  his  duties  as  medical  superintendent  of  the 
asylum.  He  is  now  nearly  blind  from  the  formation  of  cataract,  which 
is  the  consequence  of  injuries  received  by  him  while  attending  a  lunatic 
in  the  asylum.  We  hope  that  medical  men  will  interest  themselves  in  this 
case  and  interest  the  representatives  from  their  several  constituencies  to 
obtain  justice  for  an  old  public  servant,  who  well  deserves  a  pension  for 
his  untiring  efforts  in  behalf  of  a  class  of  the  community  the  most  un- 
fortunate and,  until  his  efforts  in  their  behalf,  the  most  neglected  in  the 
country. 

Opposite  the  old  Parliament  buildings,  on  what  was  called  the 
"  Broken  Front,"  Dr.  Rees  constructed  a  wharf,  which  was  long 
known  as  "  Rees'  Wharf."  Near  it,  under  the  hill,  he  built  a 
small  but  comfortable  house,  in  which  he  passed  his  bachelor  life, 
always  ready  to  welcome  any  visitor  and  interest  him  with  anec- 
dotes, of  which  he  had  a  large  fund.  The  date  of  his  death  is  not 
given. 

DR.  THOMAS  W.  REYNOLDS. 

Dr.  Reynolds  was  the  son  of  Thomas  Reynolds,  M.  D.,  of 
Brockville,  Ont.,  and  was  born  June  6,  1858,  in  that  city.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  there  and  McGill  University,  where 
he  took  his  degree  as  M.  D.,  C.  M.  in  1881.  He  began  the  practice 
of  his  profession  in  Hamilton,  Ont.,  and,  in  1885,  was  appointed 
to  the  medical  staff  of  Hamilton  Asylum,  later  becoming  assistant 
superintendent.  He  continued  his  official  connection  with  that 
institution  to  the  last,  with  the  exception  of  about  a  year  (1890) 
spent  as  superintendent  of  the  newly  opened  Mimico  Asylum.  He 
then  requested  to  be  allowed  to  return  to  his  former  position. 
Contracting  a  cold  in  the  early  part  of  1902,  accompanied  by  cough 
and  haemorrhage  from  the  lungs,  he  went  south  in  the  hope  that 
the  climate  of  North  Carolina  would  improve  his  health.  At  the 
beginning  of  June  he  left  the  south  for  home,  but  stopped  off  at 
Baltimore  to  consult  Dr.  Osier,  who  had  been  a  personal  friend 
and  college  chum  at  McGill.  The  fatigue  of  the  journey  pro- 
duced extreme  exhaustion  upon  a  debilitated  system  which  was  the 
subject  of  tubercular  disease.  He  was  at  once  sent  to  The  Johns 
Hopkins  Hospital  by  order  of  Dr.  Osier,  where  he  received  the 
best  attention  and  the  greatest  possible  kindness,  but  in  spite  of  all 
that  could  be  done,  he  gradually  sank  and  died  the  following  day, 
June  9,  1902.    The  untimely  death  of  Dr.  Reynolds  at  the  early  age 

46 


588  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE    OF    THE    INSANE 

of  45,  and  in  the  midst  of  his  usefulness,  was  greatly  lamented  by 
his  numerous  friends,  and  especially  at  the  asylum  where  he  was 
much  beloved  by  every  one.  He  was  a  man  of  a  lovable  disposition 
and  generous  impulses,  one  never  known  to  be  out  of  temper.  He 
was  more  than  usually  fitted  for  asylimi  work — was  punctual  and 
methodical  in  everything,  and  always  at  his  post.  If  he  erred  at  all 
it  was  in  too  great  devotion  to  his  work.  Ever  anxious  to  serve 
others  he  thought  least  about  himself,  and  in  that  sense  he  died  a 
martyr  to  his  professional  duties  and  the  great  charity  which  was 
his  life's  work. 

DR.  JOHN  SCOTT. 

Dr.  Scott  was  born  at  Strabane,  County  Tyrone,  Ireland,  in 
1816,  and  in  1831  was  apprenticed  to  learn  the  business  of  an 
apothecary.  He  began  his  medical  studies  at  the  University  of 
Edinburgh  and  received  a  certificate  therefrom  in  1835,  securing 
the  degree  of  M.  R.  C.  S.,  London,  May  24,  1841.  Coming  to 
Toronto,  Ont.,  he  married,  in  1844,  the  only  daughter  of  the  Rev. 
John  Roaf,  a  minister  of  the  Congregational  Church,  and  a  promi- 
nent member  of  the  Board  of  Commissioners  of  the  lunatic  asylum. 
Dr.  Scott  engaged  in  practice  at  Toronto  until  appointed  to  the 
charge  of  the  asylum  in  January,  1850.  This  position  he  held  until 
1853  when  he  found  the  office  made  so  intolerable  to  him,  by  the 
twelve  magnates  who  were  managers,  that  he  resigned,  feeling  that 
he  did  not  receive  fair  play.  After  severing  his  connection  with  the 
institution  he  resumed  practice  in  the  city,  where  he  was  made 
coroner.  His  death  took  place  there  in  May,  1864.  Dr.  Scott 
seems  to  have  been  an  able  man  professionally,  but  was  possessed 
of  an  overbearing  manner  and  an  irritability  of  temper  that  ill 
fitted  him  for  the  charge  of  a  large  public  establishment  such  as  a 
lunatic  asylum. 

DR.  JAMES  A.  SIVEWRIGHT. 

Dr.  Sivewright,  who  was  born  in  Chatham,  Ont.,  in  1850,  was 
the  son  of  Dr.  J.  H.  Sivewright,  of  that  city.  His  earlier  educa- 
tion was  acquired  at  the  public  and  grammar  schools  there,  while 
his  medical  studies  were  conducted  at  Queen's  College,  Kingston, 
where  he  graduated  as  M.  D.,  C.  M.  He  first  went  to  Africa  as 
medical  officer  of  an  exploring  party,  and  while  there  had  a  severe 


DR.  J.   McL.  WALLACE. 


DR.  T.  W.  REYNOLDS. 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    CANADA   AND    NEWFOUNDLAND  589 

attack  of  fever.  Returning  to  Canada  he  went  out  to  New  West- 
minster, B.  C,  as  a  partner  of  Dr.  T.  R.  Mclnnes,  then  a  member  of 
the  House  of  Commons,  and  afterwards  Lieutenant-Governor  of 
British  Columbia.  In  New  Westminster  Dr.  Sivewright  took 
charge  of  the  Asylum  for  the  Insane,  nominally  as  locum  tenens 
for  Dr.  Mclnnes,  who  was  visiting  physician  to  it,  but  actually  as 
head  of  the  institution.  After  a  time,  retiring  from  partnership 
with  Dr.  Mclnnes,  he  thought  of  establishing  himself  elsewhere, 
but  finally  decided  to  settle  permanently  in  New  Westminster, 
where  he  speedily  attained  the  position  of  the  leader  of  his  profes- 
sion in  that  part  of  the  province.  In  March,  1883,  he  was  formally 
appointed  medical  head  of  the  asylum,  and  in  the  following  month 
received  the  additional  appointment  of  medical  officer  to  the  Royal 
Columbian  Hospital.  A  few  weeks  afterwards  he  was  prostrated 
by  a  severe  chill,  resulting  from  exposure  while  visiting  a  patient 
at  a  distance  from  town.  This  was  followed  by  an  attack  of 
typhoid  fever,  from  which  he  died,  May  18,  1883,  ^^  the  early  age 
of  33  years. 

DR.  HENRY  HUNT  STABB. 

Henry  Hunt  Stabb  was  born  in  181 2,  at  Torquay,  Devonshire, 
England.  Educated  in  Torquay,  he  began  the  study  of  medicine 
at  the  age  of  15  in  Edinburgh,  where  he  graduated  in  medicine. 
He  joined  Dr.  Carson,  of  St.  John's,  N.  F.,  as  assistant,  and  was 
associated  with  him  for  two  years.  His  interest  in  the  insane  in 
this  colony  dates  from  this  period.  He  found  six  male  maniacs 
occupying  basement  cells  of  the  old  Fever  Hospital,  since  de- 
stroyed, where  they  were  chained  to  benches  and  walls  with  a 
bedding  of  straw  and  with  their  food  passed  to  them  in  tins  tied 
to  the  ends  of  long  poles.  Seeing  them  in  this  wretched  condition, 
he  began  agitation  in  favor  of  better  housing  and  treatment. 
After  repeated  efforts  he  induced  the  government  to  lease  a  small 
cottage  called  "  Palks  "  on  the  Waterford  Bridge  Road,  and  be- 
came the  attending  physician  with  10  patients. 

During  this  time  he  kept  up  his  general  practice  and  labored 
as  secretary  of  the  Board  of  Health  in  an  epidemic  of  cholera  and 
also  of  smallpox. 

In  1848  he  received  promises  of  large  donations  from  several 
friends,  residents  in  St.  John's,  if  the  government  would  build  a 
proper  asylum. 


590  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE    OF   THE    INSANE 

Miss  Dix,  who  visited  St.  John's  during  this  year,  offered  a 
donation  of  £ioo,  took  great  interest  in  the  work  and  collected 
other  subscriptions  from  abroad.  The  Governor,  Sir  G.  De 
Marchand,  also  used  great  influence  with  the  government,  which 
finally  consented  and  appointed  Dr.  Stabb  to  visit  continental  and 
English  institutions  for  the  purpose  of  studying  their  methods  of 
management.  He  spent  one  year  in  Paris  schools  and  in  visiting 
Germany,  England  and  Scotland,  before  his  return  in  1852. 

Upon  his  plans  and  suggestions  the  present  asylum  was  com- 
menced in  1853.  The  building  consisted  of  a  central  block  for 
physician's  residence,  kitchen,  engine  room,  etc.,  and  a  wing  at- 
tached to  it,  consisting  of  a  lower  ward  for  males  and  upper  ward 
for  females,  and  an  attic  for  extra  males,  with  a  total  accommoda- 
tion of  45  male  and  30  female  patients.    It  was  finished  in  1855. 

In  the  year  i860  the  Prince  of  Wales  visited  the  island,  and  his 
attendant  physician.  Dr.  Ackland,  was  surprised  and  pleased  with 
the  institution  and  encouraged  Dr.  Stabb  to  leave  St.  John's  to  seek 
a  position  in  England. 

In  1863  it  was  found  necessary  to  build  a  wing,  corresponding 
to  the  first,  capable  of  containing  60  beds  to  be  occupied  by  female 
patients. 

In  1873-76  two  additional  wings  were  erected  to  separate  noisy 
and  violent  cases  from  convalescents. 

In  his  declining  years  he  enjoyed  robust  health;  always  ab- 
stemious, a  non-smoker,  a  good  pedestrian,  he  remained  in  pos- 
session of  his  faculties  up  to  73  years  of  age,  when  his  memory 
slowly  began  to  fail.  Retiring  from  his  work  in  1889,  his  physical 
health  remained  good  for  two  years,  when  signs  of  cerebral  soften- 
ing showed  themselves  in  slight  attacks  of  aphasia  and  right 
paralysis ;  these  recurring  at  intervals  of  three  or  four  months, 
until  he  had  a  cerebral  hemorrhage,  he  became  comatose  and 
slowly  passed  away  without  suffering  on  the  17th  of  May,  1892, 
eight  days  after  the  beginning  of  the  seizure. 

DR.  JAMES  THOMAS  STEEVES. 

James  Thomas  Steeves  was  of  German  descent  and  born  at 
Hillsboro,  N.  B.,  January  25,  1828.  Educated  at  the  local  school 
there,  at  Sackville  Academy,  and  at  the  Baptist  Seminary,  Fred- 
ericton,  N.  B.,  he  entered  on  the  study  of  medicine  at  the  Uni- 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    CANADA   AND    NEWFOUNDLAND  59I 

versity  of  Pennsylvania  Medical  School,  and  graduated  from  the 
University  of  New  York  in  the  class  of  1853.  He  began  the 
practice  of  his  profession  in  the  parish  of  Portland,  now  a  part 
of  the  city  of  St.  John,  in  June,  1854,  but  removed  to  the  city 
in  1864  and  erected  a  block  of  buildings,  where  he  resided  and 
practiced  until  1875,  when  he  was  called  to  take  charge  of  the 
asylum.  He  ranked  high  as  a  surgeon  and  obstetrician,  and  when 
the  general  public  hospital  was  opened  at  St.  John's,  in  1864,  was 
appointed  one  of  the  stafT  of  visiting  physicians.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  first  medical  council  of  New  Brunswick  (i860)  under 
the  English  Medical  Registration  Act,  the  first  president  of  the 
New  Brunswick  Medical  Council  under  the  New  Brunswick  Med- 
ical Act  of  1880 ;  also  vice-president  of  the  Canada  Medical  Asso- 
ciation. In  1892  he  visited  Great  Britain,  Ireland  and  the  Continent 
to  see  the  asylums  there,  and  at  other  times  visited  many  of  the 
institutions  in  Canada  and  the  United  States.  In  1889  he  was 
called  upon  to  give  expert  testimony  in  a  case  at  San  Diego,  Cal. 
Throughout  his  asylum  career  Dr.  Steeves  proved  himself  a 
worthy  successor  of  Dr.  Waddell,  and  during  his  20-year  service 
did  much  toward  bringing  the  New  Brunswick  institution  to  its 
present  excellent  condition.  His  death  took  place  at  Lancaster 
on  March  3,  1897. 

DR.  WALTER  TELFER. 

Dr.  Telfer  was  a  native  of  Scotland  and  the  holder  of  a 
diploma  from  the  College  of  Surgeons,  Edinburgh,  also  of  a  cer- 
tificate from  the  Upper  Canada  Medical  Board,  before  which  he 
appeared  in  1833.  He  settled  in  Niagara  about  1826,  and  took  a 
prominent  parf  in  the  affairs  of  the  town,  but  in  1835  removed  to 
Toronto,  where  he  soon  commanded  a  large  practice.  He  was 
considered  skilful,  was  highly  respected  by  his  confreres,  and  had 
the  confidence  of  his  patients.  He  loved  his  profession,  not  as  a 
means  of  acquiring  wealth,  but  for  the  aid  and  comfort  he  was  able 
to  give  the  afflicted. 

Dr.  Telfer  succeded  Dr.  Rees  as  superintendent  of  the  Toronto 
Lunatic  Asylum  in  1845,  and  held  the  office  for  three  years,  being 
dismissed  by  the  Governor-General  in  1848.  His  removal  was  the 
cause  of  a  good  deal  of  newspaper  controversy.    It  was  alleged  by 


592  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

many  that  the  government  found  an  excuse  for  this  action  at  the 
demand  of  Dr.  Rolph,  a  man  of  great  political  influence,  while,  on 
the  other  hand,  the  organ  of  the  government  declared  that  it  was 
for  good  cause.  The  dismissal,  whatever  may  have  been  the  true 
cause,  does  not  seem  in  the  least  to  have  affected  his  standing  in 
the  community  or  profession.  He  again  resumed  practice  in  the 
city,  where  he  was  given  a  place  on  the  staff  of  the  Toronto 
General  Hospital,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1857,  was  an 
active  member  of  the  Upper  Canada  Medical  Board. 

SISTER  THERESE  DE  JESUS. 

Cleophee  Tetu,  known  among  the  Sisters  of  Providence  as 
Sister  Therese  de  Jesus,  and  the  foundress  of  the  existing  Longue 
Pointe  Asylum,  was  a  truly  remarkable  woman.  Intelligent,  with 
wonderful  force  of  character,  indomitable  energy  and  pre-eminent 
business  ability,  she  was  well  fitted  to  found  and  conduct  a  great 
institution.  Bom  at  St.  Hyacinthe,  Quebec,  on  December  3,  1824, 
she  received  an  excellent  education  with  the  Sisters  of  the  Congre- 
gation of  Notre  Dame,  who  had  an  establishment  in  her  native 
place.  In  October,  1844,  at  the  age  of  20,  she  entered  a  convent  of 
the  Sisters  of  Providence,  and  took  the  vows  in  July,  1846. 
Though  so  young,  she  was,  in  1849,  placed  at  the  head  of  the 
hospital  of  St.  Jerome  in  Montreal,  where  she  remained  until  1854, 
when  she  went  to  Burlington,  Vt.,  to  preside  over  the  orphanage  of 
St.  Joseph.  At  the  end  of  three  years'  work  there,  her  superior 
decided  to  confide  a  still  more  difficult  task  to  her,  and  she  was  sent 
to  a  mission  of  the  Order  in  Chili.  This  mission  had  been  founded 
under  peculiar  circumstances.  In  1852  the  Sisters  had  been 
invoked  to  establish  a  hospital  in  Oregon,  and  a  few  of  them  were 
sent  to  undertake  the  work.  The  voyage  in  those  days  was  a  long 
and  difficult  one,  having  to  be  made  by  way  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico 
and  Isthmus  of  Panama  to  San  Francisco.  Arrived  at  Oregon  City, 
the  Sisters  found  that  they  had  had  their  journey  for  nothing, 
almost  the  entire  population  of  the  place  having  deserted  it  for  the 
gold  fields  of  California.  Undaunted,  they  started  on  their  return 
voyage,  which,  for  the  sake  of  economy,  they  determined  to  make 
by  way  of  Cape  Horn.  On  reaching  Santiago,  Chili,  however, 
they  yielded  to  the  entreaties  of  the  bishop  of  that  city  to  remain 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    CANADA   AND    NEWFOUNDLAND  593 

and  assist  in  founding  an  asylum  there.  It  was  to  complete  the 
formation  of  this  establishment  that,  in  1857,  Sister  Therese, 
accompanied  by  Sister  Augustin,  was  sent  to  Chili.  She  finished 
the  duty  assigned  to  her  in  an  admirable  manner,  and  returned  to 
Montreal  in  1863.  In  1866  she  was  appointed  Treasurer-General  of 
the  Order,  and  as  such  made  herself  thoroughly  conversant  with  all 
the  affairs  of  the  community.  So  successful  was  her  business 
administration  that  when,  in  1873,  it  was  mooted  that  the  Sisters 
should  treat  with  the  provincial  government  for  the  erection  of  an 
idiot  asylum.  Sister  Therese  was  designated  as  representative  of  the 
corporation  of  the  Sisters  of  Providence.  Such  was  her  debut 
into  the  great  work  of  her  busy  life,  the  founding  and  estab- 
lishment of  L'Hospice  St,  Jean  de  Dieu.  On  her  death,  which 
occurred  November  22,  1891,  although  only  superior  of  the 
asylum,  her  body,  as  a  special  mark  of  honor,  was  interred  in  the 
space  reserved  for  the  Superiors-General  of  the  Order  in  the 
cemetery  of  the  convent  St.  Isidore  at  Longue  Pointe. 

FRANCIS  WOLFERSTAN  THOMAS. 

Francis  Wolferstan  Thomas  was  born  at  Moorminstow,  Corn- 
wall, England,  January  9,  1834,  and  died  at  Montreal,  May  18, 
1900.  The  son  of  the  Rev.  F.  W.  Thomas,  Rector  of  Parkham, 
North  Devon,  England,  he  was  educated  at  King  Edward  VI 
School,  Sherborne,  Dorset,  and  at  first  it  was  intended  he  should 
enter  holy  orders ;  later,  probably  at  the  boy's  own  request,  it  was 
decided  he  should  seek  a  military  career;  ere  a  commission  was 
secured  for  him,  however,  he  left  for  Canada  in  185 1,  where  he 
joined  the  Bank  of  Upper  Canada  as  a  junior.  After  a  year  in  the 
service  of  this  bank,  he  became  connected  with  the  Bank  of  Mon- 
treal, and  progressed  steadily  until  in  1865  he  was  promoted  to  the 
post  of  manager  of  the  London  branch ;  here  his  ability  was  so  well 
marked  that  in  1870  he  was  offered  the  general  managership  of 
Molson's  Bank,  Montreal,  which  he  accepted.  His  superinten- 
dency  was  characterized  by  much  success,  the  bank  expanding 
greatly  in  its  business,  and  strengthening  its  financial  position. 

Outside  of  his  profession  Mr.  Thomas'  name  was  well  known  as 
that  of  a  public-spirited  citizen,  whose  time,  talents  and  service 
were  never  found  wanting  when  works  of  improvement  were  to 
be  done,  or  the  general  good  furthered.    The  number  of  charitable 


594  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE   INSANE 

and  educational  movements  in  Montreal  with  which  he  was  promi- 
nently connected  were  legion.  Perhaps  one  of  the  most  note- 
worthy was  the  erection  of  the  Montreal  General  Hospital  Jubilee 
Training  Home  for  Nurses,  the  scheme  being  carried  out  in  1897, 
and  due  almost  entirely  to  his  personal  efforts. 

He  was  one  of  the  first  to  become  interested  in  the  formation  of 
a  hospital  to  care  for  the  Protestant  insane  of  Quebec  Province, 
and  as  early  as  1884  was  a  member  of  a  deputation  chosen  to  wait 
upon  the  government  and  urge  a  reform  in  their  treatment,  also  to 
ascertain  what  the  administration  was  willing  to  do  to  help  the 
erection  of  a  separate  institution  for  Protestants  ;  he  was  a  member 
of  the  first,  or  provisional,  directorate  of  the  Protestant  Hospital 
for  Insane,  its  treasurer  for  many  years,  and  was  president  of  its 
Board  of  Management  from  1898  to  1900. 

DR.  ARTHUR  VALLEE. 

Dr.  Vallee  was  born  at  St.  Roch,  Quebec,  December  23,  1848,  and 
died  at  the  Hotel-Dieu  there,  January  23,  1903,  at  the  age  of  54. 
While  others  may  have  gained  more  renown,  his  was  a  career  that 
few  could  excel.  A  student  of  Laval  University  in  1867,  he  left 
that  institution  in  1873  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.,  and  was  admitted 
to  practice  in  1875.  After  a  prolonged  absence  in  Europe,  spent 
in  study,  he  occupied  successively  the  chairs  of  Medical  Juris- 
prudence, Clinical  Medicine,  Obstetrics,  History  of  Medicine,  and 
Mental  Diseases  at  the  Hotel-Dieu  and  Laval  University,  Quebec. 
As  a  professor,  his  diction  was  clear  and  erudite,  and  up  to  the  end 
of  his  useful  life  he  was  an  honor  to  his  school  and  to  the  French- 
Canadian  medical  profession.  His  public  lectures  were  always 
looked  forward  to  with  pleasure  by  his  fellow  citizens.  Clearness 
of  mental  vision,  and  a  ripe  judgment,  together  with  great  aptitude 
for  work  were  characteristics  that  especially  fitted  him  for  specu- 
lative medical  science,  and  it  was  in  his  work  as  an  alienist  that  the 
philosophical  trend  of  his  mind  found  its  highest  expression.  In 
November,  1879,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  visiting  physicians 
to  the  Quebec  Lunatic  Asylum,  and  in  1885  became  medical  super- 
intendent of  that  institution.  During  his  too  brief  regime  Dr. 
Vallee  introduced  many  valuable  reforms  into  the  hospital,  includ- 
ing the  total  abolition  of  mechanical  restraint,  and  various  struc- 


BIOGRAPHIES   IN    CANADA   AND    NEWFOUNDLAND  595 

tural  changes.  His  position  as  superintendent  gave  him  the  field 
for  prosecuting  his  researches  into  questions  of  mental  and 
nervous  diseases,  and  early  in  his  career  his  competency  was 
acknowledged.  Unfailing  in  his  loyalty,  he  was  greatly  beloved  by 
his  colleagues.  He  was  a  brilliant  conversationalist,  refined  in 
temperament,  a  man  of  taste,  and  above  all  generous  to  a  fault. 

DR.  JOHN  WADDELL. 

Dr.  John  Waddell,  the  second  medical  superintendent  of  the 
New  Brunswick  Hospital  for  Insane,  was  the  son  of  Rev.  John 
Waddell,  a  Scotch  Presbyterian  minister,  and  was  born  at  Truro, 
N.  S.,  March  17,  1810.  Having  received  a  good  primary  education 
there  and  at  Pictou  Academy,  N.  S.,  he,  in  1834,  began  his  medical 
studies  under  Dr.  Lynds,  of  Truro.  These  were  continued  at 
Glasgow,  Scotland,  and,  in  1839,  he  received  his  diploma  as  mem- 
ber of  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons,  London.  During  the 
winter  of  1839-40  he  attended  medical  lectures  at  Paris,  and  in  the 
summer  of  1840  returned  to  his  native  town  and  entered  on  a 
practice  which  was  continued  up  to  the  date  of  his  appointment 
to  the  superintendency  of  the  New  Brunswick  Asylum,  December 
I,  1849,  which  ofiice  he  assumed  on  the  sixth  of  that  month.  On 
resigning  his  position.  May  i,  1876,  he  returned  to  Truro,  his  birth- 
place, where  he  died  August  29,  1878. 

More  than  once  during  his  26  years'  tenure  of  office  the  various 
commissioners  expressed  their  unqualified  appreciation  of  Dr. 
Waddell's  able  conduction  of  the  asylum,  and  on  his  retirement 
reiterated  these  encomiums.  Throughout  his  alienistic  career  Dr. 
Waddell  showed  himself  a  broad-minded,  liberal  and  energetic 
administrator,  one  ever  keenly  observant  of  the  best  interests  of 
his  patients  and  the  advancement  of  his  institution.  His  yearly 
reports  are  replete  with  interest,  and  in  the  last  of  these  he  thus 
expresses  his  views  on  asylum  management : 

In  hospitals  for  the  insane,  it  is  very  desirable  to  obtain  the  largest 
measure  of  home  comforts  that  can  be  commanded  without  resorting  to 
extravagance.  An  abundant  supply  of  good,  wholesome,  well-cooked  food ; 
also,  the  best  arrangements  possible  to  provide  for  the  patients  that  are  able 
and  willing  to  work,  the  means  to  do  so  in  a  manner  the  most  agreeable 
to  them ;  also,  the  means  to  relieve  those  who  do  engage  in  work,  by  alter- 
nating with  books,  amusements  and  recreations. 


596  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

DR.  JAMES  McLaren  WALLACE. 
Dr.  Wallace  was  born  at  Kirkintilloch,  Scotland,  in  1837.  His 
primary  studies  were  conducted  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
town,  and  his  professional  education  and  degree  were  obtained  at 
the  Andersonian  University,  Glasgow.  Arriving  in  Canada  in 
1 86 1,  he  began  practice  in  the  village  of  Spencer ville,  Grenville 
Co.,  Ont.  Here  he  remained  until  1876  when  he  was  appointed  to 
the  superintendency  of  the  Orillia  Asylum  for  Idiots,  and  thence 
was  transferred  to  the  charge  of  the  Insane  Asylum  at  Hamilton 
on  February  14,  1877,  ^^  successor  to  Dr.  R.  M.  Bucke.  He  was 
active,  energetic  and  far-seeing,  and  did  much  to  improve  the 
buildings  and  newly  laid  out  grounds  and  provide  a  good  founda- 
tion for  future  development.  Owing  to  continued  ill-health  he 
resigned  from  the  super intendentship  in  1887,  much  to  the  regret 
of  his  staff ;  and,  after  a  time  took  up  private  practice  in  Hamilton, 
subsequently  moving  to  Port  Elgin,  where  he  died  of  apoplexy  on 
February  17,  1896. 

DR.  JOHN  WANLESS. 

Dr.  John  Wanless  was  born  at  Dundee,  Scotland,  on  May  26, 
1813,  and  died  at  Toronto,  Ont.,  April  14,  1901.  He  received  his 
medical  education  at  Edinburgh  University,  and  after  graduation, 
which  occurred  at  the  early  age  of  20,  he  spent  some  time  as  ship 
surgeon  and  in  hospital  work.  Some  of  his  experiences  while 
acting  in  the  former  capacity  are  well  worth  relating,  notably  those 
of  one  voyage  which,  like  Sir  A.  Conan  Doyle,  he  made  as  surgeon 
on  a  large  whaler,  and  which  was  full  of  "  hair  breadth  'scapes." 
Later,  the  young  man,  led  by  the  adventuresome  spirit  no  doubt, 
decided  to  try  the  hazard  of  a  life  in  Canada,  and  came  to  London, 
Ont.,  to  practise  at  the  age  of  about  27.  Soon  after  he  was  estab- 
lished there,  he  met  a  homeopathist,  and  being  a  sturdy  allopath 
himself,  he  undertook  to  denounce  by  his  pen  the  new  system  of 
medicine  and  all  its  works ;  curiously  enough,  in  his  studies  which 
were  to  enable  him  to  shatter  the  opposite  school  to  his  own  satis- 
faction, he  found  much  to  interest  and  finally  attract  him,  and  ere 
long  he  became  a  full-fledged  homeopathist  himself — in  Gold- 
smith's words,  "  Who  came  to  scofif,  remain'd  to  pray." 

In  1861,  Dr.  Wanless,  now  as  trenchant  a  homeopathist  as  the 
best,  was  asked  by  a  number  of  the  leading  practitioners  of  that 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    CANADA   AND    NEWFOUNDLAND  597 

school  in  the  city  of  Montreal  to  come  there  and  begin  practice, 
aiding  this  medical  system  by  his  efforts.  This  he  did,  soon 
establishing  an  excellent  practice,  and  he  was  chiefly  instrumental 
in  causing  legislation  to  be  passed  giving  the  school  of  homeopathy 
recognition  and  rights  in  Canada. 

An  ardent  Scotsman,  he  was  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  St. 
Andrew's  Society;  he  was  the  first  honorary  secretary  of  the 
Protestant  Hospital  for  Insane,  at  Verdun  near  Montreal,  being 
elected  December  20,  1886,  and  resigning  in  1892 ;  he  also  was  a 
member  of  the  first,  or  provisional,  directorate  of  the  hospital 
formed  in  1885.  He  was  of  vast  assistance  to  the  institution  during 
its  formative  period. 

His  last  few  years  were  spent  in  Toronto,  and  there  death  called 
him,  at  the  advanced  age  of  87,  at  the  close  of  a  useful  life. 

HON.  J.  K.  WARD,  M.  L.  A. 

James  Keirley  Ward  was  born  in  the  Isle  of  Man  at  Peel,  Sep- 
tember 9,  1819,  and  died  at  Westmount,  October  2,  19 10.  He 
received  his  education  at  May's  Academy,  Douglas,  Isle  of  Man. 
Coming  to  America  at  an  early  age  he  secured  a  position  as  clerk 
in  a  lumber  mill  at  Troy,  N.  Y.,  later  securing  its  lease  and  operat- 
ing it  under  his  own  management.  The  increasing  difficulty  in 
finding  standing  timber  in  that  part  of  New  York  State  caused 
him  to  come  to  Canada  in  1853,  where  he  secured  an  establishment 
with  timbered  lands  on  the  Maskinonge  River,  Que.,  remaining 
in  the  enterprise  for  ten  years.  In  1870  he  opened  the  Mona  Saw- 
mills in  Montreal,  which  city  then  became  his  home,  and  he  suc- 
cessfully conducted  this  business  on  an  extensive  scale.  He  was  an 
ardent  advocate  of  the  study  of  forestry,  and  thoroughly  under- 
stood his  subject  both  from  its  scientific  and  practical  aspects,  hav- 
ing read  able  papers  before  various  interested  societies,  such  as  the 
American  Forestry  Congress,  etc. 

He  was  interested  in  many  other  commercial  ventures,  being  on 
the  directorate  of  several  important  Montreal  concerns.  He  was 
called  to  the  Legislative  Council  of  Quebec  in  1888  by  the  late  Mr. 
Mercier,  then  premier  of  the  province. 

His  connection  with  Montreal  charities  was  large,  and  his 
wise  counsel  was  much  sought  on  the  administrative  boards  of 
these  various  projects.    He  was  a  life  governor  of  the  Montreal 


598  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

General  Hospital,  of  the  Women's  Hospital  and  the  House  of 
Industry  and  Refuge.  One  of  the  first  to  sympathize  with  the 
movement  to  establish  the  Protestant  Hospital  for  Insane,  he 
furthered  the  scheme  with  his  customary  vigor,  and  at  one  time 
had  personally  pledged,  in  connection  with  three  or  four  others, 
many  thousand  dollars  to  the  government,  in  order  to  rescue  the 
institution  financially — a  pledge  which  fortunately  was  not 
exacted,  as  the  necessary  sum  was  raised  by  popular  subscription. 
The  incident,  however,  serves  to  show  his  generous  character. 
He  was  president  of  the  Board  of  Management  from  1888  to  1898, 
when  he  retired  at  his  own  request  owing  to  advancing  years,  after 
nearly  ten  years  of  faithful  and  able  service. 

JAMES  WILSON. 

James  Wilson  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1847  3-"^  died  in  Montreal, 
January  10,  1905.  He  came  to  Canada  at  an  early  age,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  taking  a  front  rank  in  business  in  Montreal.  In  1873  he 
established  the  firm  of  James  Wilson  &  Co.,  a  concern  dealing  in 
railway  and  steamboat  supplies,  which  grew  to  large  proportions 
under  his  able  direction.  He  was  connected  with  other  commercial 
ventures,  being  vice-president  of  the  Dominion  Cotton  Mills  Com- 
pany and  a  director  of  the  Montreal  Cotton  Company  at  the  time 
of  his  death. 

Mr.  Wilson  devoted  much  attention  to  the  cause  of  charity ;  he 
was  president  of  the  Irish  Protestant  Benevolent  Society  for  some 
years,  and  treasurer  of  the  Protestant  House  of  Industry  and 
Refuge.  He  served  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Management  of 
the  Protestant  Hospital  for  Insane  from  1896  until  1903,  when 
he  was  elected  president  of  that  body  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Samuel 
Finley.  As  chairman  of  its  executive  Mr.  Wilson  was  capable  and 
efficient  and  his  term  of  office  was  all  too  short,  being  terminated 
by  his  untimely  death  after  less  than  18  months'  service. 

DR.  BENJAMIN  WORKMAN. 

On  the  26th  of  September,  1878,  Dr.  Benjamin  Workman  died 
at  his  residence,  Uxbridge,  Ont.,  in  the  85th  year  of  his  age.  He 
was  born  in  Ireland  in  1793,  and  in  1819  came  to  Canada  and 
settled  in  Montreal,  where  he  conducted  for  several  years  a  sue- 


BIOGRAPHIES    IN    CANADA   AND    NEWFOUNDLAND  599 

cessful  school.  In  1852  he  took  the  degree  of  M.  D.  and  in  1856 
was  appointed  assistant  to  his  brother,  Dr.  Joseph  Workman,  in 
the  Toronto  Insane  Asylum,  which  position  he  filled  with  rare 
fidelity,  intelligence  and  zeal  until  1875,  when  failing  health  com- 
pelled him  to  retire.  For  some  years  he  had  labored  under  a 
chest  trouble  which  had  been  diagnosed  as  thoracic  aneurism ;  the 
ultimate  cause  of  his  death,  hemiplegia,  which  ended  fatally  in 
24  hours,  was  probably  due  to  a  clot  carried  from  the  aneurismal 
sac  into  the  cerebral  circulation.  He  was  a  man  of  extensive 
professional  and  literary  attainments,  an  earnest  student,  and  a 
noble  example  of  the  quiet,  unassuming  Christian  gentleman.  He 
left  behind  him  an  enviable  record  of  simplicity,  energy  ^"^d 
devotion. 

DR.  JOSEPH  WORKMAN. 

Dr.  Joseph  Workman  was  born  in  Lisburn,  Ireland,  May  26, 
1805,  and  died  in  Toronto,  April  15,  1894,  at  the  age  of  89  years. 
He  came  to  Canada  from  Ireland  in  1829,  and  graduated  from 
McGill  College  in  1835.  In  1836  he  removed  to  Toronto  and 
engaged  in  business,  but  returned  to  the  practice  of  medicine  10 
years  later.  For  some  years  he  filled  the  chairs  of  materia  medica 
and  obstetrics  in  Rolph's  Medical  School  and  became  favorably 
known  as  an  able  physician.  In  1853  he  accepted  temporary  charge 
of  the  Toronto  Asylum,  at  the  personal  solicitation  of  Dr.  Rolph, 
and  his  appointment  was  made  permanent  in  April,  1854.  He 
remained  in  office  for  22  years,  resigning  in  1875.  He  was  mark- 
edly successful  as  a  superintendent  and  soon  became  known  as 
the  most  noteworthy  of  Canadian  alienists.  Much  that  is  best  in 
the  present  system  of  care  of  the  insane  in  Canada  may  be  traced 
to  his  influence.  Possessed  of  much  energy  and  executive  ability, 
Dr.  Workman,  during  his  management  of  the  Toronto  Asylum, 
introduced  many  improvements,  one  of  the  first  of  which  was  a 
reconstruction  of  the  drainage.  On  assuming  charge  he  had 
found  347  patients  in  residence,  many  of  whom  had  frequent 
attacks  of  erysipelas,  diarrhoea  and  dysentery.  Setting  to  work 
to  investigate  the  cause  he  soon  found  that  the  whole  space  beneath 
the  basement  was  a  foul  and  enormous  cesspool.  When  this  was 
emptied  it  was  found  that  while  the  basement  drains  and  main 
sewer  were  admirably  constructed,  by  some  oversight  no  connec- 


600  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE   OF   THE    INSANE 

tion  had  been  made  between  them,  with  the  result  that  nearly  four 
years'  accumulation  of  filth  had  collected  there.  When  this  condi- 
tion was  remedied  there  ensued  a  marked  improvement  in  the 
general  health  of  the  household. 

After  his  resignation  of  office  Dr.  Workman  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life  in  Toronto.  He  was  an  accomplished  linguist  and 
during  his  last  years  found  his  favorite  occupation  in  the  transla- 
tion of  articles,  generally  relating  to  psychiatry,  for  various  med- 
ical periodicals.  These  translations  possess  a  strong  individuality. 
Dr.  Workman's  style  of  writing  being  always  pungent,  clear  and 
flowing. 

Although  as  a  young  man  an  ardent  politician,  he  was  never 
a  believer  in  the  so-called  political  methods  which  time  after 
time  in  many  asylums  have  caused  the  sacrifice  of  the  interests  of 
the  insane  to  the  demands  of  political  exigency.  He  steadfastly 
resisted  any  attempts  to  convert  the  asylum  into  a  machine  to 
satisfy  the  demands  of  political  office-seekers,  and  would  willingly 
have  sacrificed  his  position  rather  than  wink  at  the  perpetration  of 
a  wrong.  When,  after  22  years  of  faithful  service,  he  began  to 
chafe  in  official  harness  and  longed  for  rest,  the  decision  to  retire 
once  made  was  soon  carried  into  practice.  There  was  nothing  to 
put  in  order — the  institution  was  in  excellent  condition ;  the  run- 
ning gear  well  oiled ;  harmony  in  every  department,  and  an  esprit 
de  corps  among  the  officials  that  argued  well  for  the  comfort  of  a 
successor. 

For  many  years  he  was  much  criticised  by  the  legal  fraternity 
and  press  for  his  theories  in  regard  to  "  insanity  and  crime,"  as 
he  fearlessly  maintained  the  medical  view  of  responsibility  in 
mental  disease.  In  the  court-room,  as  a  witness  and  medical  expert 
it  was  soon  learned  that  he  could  not  only  enforce  respect  when 
under  examination,  but  could  also  cover  with  confusion  any 
facetious  attempts  to  divert  him  from  his  fixed  purpose.  Gifted 
with  an  excellent  command  of  language,  a  wit  as  keen  as  a 
Damascus  blade,  a  perfect  grasp  of  man's  mental  attitude  and  a 
profound  knowledge  of  science  it  can  easily  be  understood  why  he 
was  facile  princeps  among  witnesses. 

His  contributions  to  alienistic  literature  have  been  many.  In 
Europe  his  name  was  well  known,  and  he  was  made  an  honorary 
member  of  medico-psychological  societies  in  Britain  and  in  Italy. 


DR.  JOSErH   WORKMAN. 


ADDENDA. 

MICHIGAN  HOME  AND  TRAINING  SCHOOL. 

Lapeer,  Mich. 

The  Michigan  Home  and  Training  School  was  established  by 
act  of  the  Legislature,  1893,  approved  by  the  Governor  June  2, 
1893,  "  to  provide  by  all  proper  and  feasible  means  the  intellectual, 
moral  and  physical  training  of  that  unfortunate  portion  of  the 
community  who  have  been  born  or  by  disease  have  become  im- 
becile, feeble-minded  or  epileptic,  and  by  a  judicious  and  well- 
adapted  course  of  training  and  management  to  ameliorate  their 
condition  and  to  develop  as  much  as  possible  their  intellectual 
faculties,  to  reclaim  them  from  their  unhappy  condition  and  fit 
them  as  far  as  possible  for  future  usefulness." 

The  Board  of  Building  Commissioners,  consisting  of  Governor 
John  T.  Rich,  Cyrus  G.  Luce,  John  G.  Sharp,  Loren  A.  Sherman 
and  John  Hevener,  located  the  home  at  Lapeer,  on  a  tract  of  land 
of  160  acres  presented  to  the  state  by  the  citizens  of  Lapeer. 
With  the  initial  appropriation  of  $50,000  there  were  constructed 
two  patients'  cottages,  dining-room  and  kitchen,  with  the  neces- 
sary service  buildings  to  accommodate  200  patients.  The  Home 
has  grown  steadily  until  to-day  (January  i,  1917)  there  are 
accommodations  for  1450  patients  and  property  valued  at  $950,000, 
consisting  of  710  acres  of  land,  15  patients'  buildings  and  32  other 
buildings. 

BOARD  OF  CONTROL. 

Loren  A.  Sherman 1895-1897  John  S.  Weidman 1909-1911 

George  R.  Gold 1895-1901  A.   E.  Meigs 191 1-1915 

John  Hevener   1895-1905  J.  V.  Frazier,  M.  D 1911-1915 

Albert  N.  Stephens 1897-1902  O.  L.  Millard 1911-1915 

N.  R.  Gilbert,  M.  D 1901-1912  Norman  Flowers   1911- 

George  Nester    i 1902-1905  C.  C.  Peck 1912- 

J.  R.  Johnson 1905-1911  C.  J.  Walz 1915- 

M.  J.  Murphy 1905-1911  John  S.  Smith 1915- 

Horace  N.  Kitchell {j^^^^^ 


602  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE  OF   THE   INSANE 

SUPERINTENDENTS. 

Dr.  W.  A,  Polglase February    i,    1895-January   i,    1907 

Dr.  G.  L.  Chamberlain January   i,    1907-February   15,   1912 

Dr.  H.  A.  Haynes April   11,    1912 

ASSISTANT  SUPERINTENDENTS. 

Dr.  H.  A.  Haynes August   i,   1907-February   15,   1912 

Dr.  Byron  E.  Biggs May  i,   1912- 

ASSISTANT   PHYSICIANS. 

Dr.  Nina  W.  Oliver July    i,    1900-January   i,    1907 

Dr.  Mille  E.  Wilson January    i,    1907- 

Dr.  J.  H.  Douglass February  26,  1912- 

CONSULTING  STAFF. 

Dr.  H.  E.  Randall Surgery 

Dr.  W.  J.  Kay Medicine 

Dr.  Flemming  Carrow Ophthalmology,  Otology  and  Laryn- 
gology 
Charles  Scott  Berry,  Ph.  D Psychologist 

DIRECTOR  OF  MEDICAL  RESEARCH. 
Dr.  Carey  Pratt  McCord. 

STEWARDS. 

Fred  D.  Johnson January  i,  1895-June  5,  1907 

H.  S.  Evans July  i,  1907- 


MORNINGSIDE  HOSPITAL. 

Portland,  Ore. 

Morningside  Hospital  was  organized  by  Dr.  Henry  Waldo  Coe 
in  1893,  under  the  corporate  name  The  Sanitarium  Company, 
at  Portland,  Oregon.  The  institution  received  private  cases  only 
until  1904,  at  which  time  it  had  at  Mt.  Tabor  in  Portland  some 
10  small  buildings  on  30  acres  of  lawns  and  parks  and  cared  for 
about  100  patients.  At  various  times  during  the  life  of  the  insti- 
tution there  have  been  associated  with  Dr.  Coe,  either  as  physi- 
cians or  part  owners,  Drs.  R.  L.  Gillespie,  W.  T.  Williamson,  Wm. 
House,  J.  A.  Applewhite,  J.  M.  McGavin,  Alicia  Wood  and  others. 


ADDENDA  603 

In  1904  the  Department  of  the  Interior  contracted  with  the 
hospital  for  the  care  of  the  pubHc  insane  of  Alaska,  and  for  13 
years  this  service  has  been  under  Dr.  Coe's  charge. 

In  1910,  the  city  having  closely  crowded  around  the  site  of  the 
institution,  the  old  site  was  sold  and  a  new  one  purchased,  a  mile 
further  out  and  adjoining  the  city  limits,  where  a  large  double- 
story  pavilion  and  nine  other  buildings  were  erected.  The  grounds 
owned  and  leased  cover  some  75  acres.  A  parole  cottage,  50  by 
120  feet,  was  formally  opened  on  Christmas,  191 6.  This  includes 
hydriatric  equipment,  bacteriological  quarters  and  other  mod- 
ernization. Dr.  Coe  is  superintendent.  Dr.  J.  W.  Lucky  is  first, 
and  Dr.  C.  U.  Snider  second,  physician.  The  institution  has 
300  beds. 

DR.  CYRUS  K.  BARTLETT. 

Cyrus  K.  Bartlett  was  born  at  Boxford,  Mass.,  January  23, 
1829.  Having  received  an  academic  education,  supplemented  by 
a  course  of  study  under  private  tutors,  he  entered  the  Harvard 
Medical  School,  from  which  he  received  the  degree  of  M.  D. 
in  1852.  After  his  graduation  he  practiced  in  Charlestown,  Mass., 
until  1858,  when  he  was  appointed  assistant  physician  to  the 
Massachusetts  State  Lunatic  Hospital  at  Northampton,  and  for 
a  time  served  as  acting  superintendent  of  that  institution.  In 
November,  1868,  he  was  elected  superintendent  of  the  Minne- 
sota Hospital  for  the  Insane  at  St.  Peter,  entering  upon  his  duties 
there  in  the  following  December.  He  continued  as  superinten- 
dent of  the  hospital  until  his  resignation  in  1894,  after  which  time 
he  made  his  home  in  Minneapolis  during  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
Dr.  Bartlett  was  genial,  courteous  and  respected,  and  was  con- 
sidered as  especially  fitted  to  carry  out  the  relation  of  superinten- 
dent to  the  patients  and  to  the  hospital  in  a  way  satisfactory  to 
his  associates  and  to  the  patients. 

DR.  PHILO  OLIVER  HOOPER. 

Philo  O.  Hooper  was  born  in  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  October  11, 
1833.  His  father  died  during  his  boyhood,  and  upon  his  mother 
fell  the  duty  of  rearing  him.  For  some  years  he  attended  Nash- 
ville University.  Returning  home  he  secured  a  clerkship  in  a 
drug  establishment,  and  at  the  same  time  studied  medicine  under 

47 


604  INSTITUTIONAL   CARE  OF   THE   INSANE 

the  late  Dr.  Lorenzo  Gibson,  Sr.,  with  whom  he  was  admitted  to 
partnership  after  his  graduation  in  1854-55  from  Jefferson  Medical 
College.  During  the  Civil  War  he  was  president  of  the  Con- 
federate Judicial  Board  for  Arkansas.  At  the  close  of  the  war 
he  was  associated  with  the  late  Dr.  Breysacher,  and  continued  in 
medical  practice  until  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the 
Arkansas  State  Hospital,  upon  the  retirement  of  Dr.  Forbes,  in 
1886.  This  position  he  held,  with  a  short  intermission,  during 
the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  on  July  29,  1902. 


DR.  GEORGE  FREDERICK  KEENE. 

George  F.  Keene  was  bom  in  Whitman,  Mass.,  October  22, 
1853.  He  received  his  preliminary  education  in  the  schools  of 
Whitman,  and  after  his  graduation  from  the  high  school  entered 
Brown  University,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1875.  He 
entered  the  Harvard  Medical  School,  graduating  in  1879,  at  the 
same  time  receiving  the  degree  of  A.  M.  from  Brown  University. 
During  his  course  at  Harvard  he  served  for  18  months  in  the 
Boston  City  Hospital,  receiving  a  diploma  from  that  institu- 
tion in  1880.  He  also  received  a  diploma  from  the  Boston  City 
Hospital  Medical  Improvement  Society  and  became  a  member, 
this  honor  being  conferred  upon  him  in  recognition  of  his  inven- 
tion of  a  splint  for  Colles  fracture.  In  May  of  the  same  year  he 
commen<;ed  practice  in  Providence,  R.  L,  and  shortly  afterwards 
was  appointed  out-patient  surgeon  to  the  Rhode  Island  Hospital 
and  lecturer  to  the  Hospital  Training  School  for  Nurses,  which 
position  he  retained  until  his  removal  from  Providence  in  1886. 

In  1884,  during  the  illness  of  Dr.  Chapin,  Dr.  Keene  was 
engaged  to  lecture  on  physiology  at  Brown  University.  In  March, 
1883,  he  was  elected  physician  to  the  State  Institutions  at  Cranston, 
and  in  1886  was  appointed  resident  physician  and  deputy  superin- 
tendent of  the  State  Hospital  for  the  Insane.  He  was  later  made 
superintendent,  which  position  he  held  until  his  death  in  1905, 
in  his  52d  year. 

Dr.  Keene  accompanied  the  State  Commission  appointed  by 
the  Legislature  to  investigate  sanatoria  for  consumptives  in  the 
New   England   States.     Under  his  advice  and   supervision  the 


ADDENDA  605 

tuberculosis  wards  at  the  State  Almshouse  were  erected,  which 
were  models  of  their  kind.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  advocate  the 
use  of  tents  for  insane  patients  infected  with  tuberculosis.  He 
was  the  first  medical  superintendent  of  the  State  Hospital  for  the 
Insane  in  Rhode  Island,  and  regarded  his  appointm_ent  as  a  high 
honor.  A  physician  in  the  truest  meaning  of  the  term,  he  en- 
couraged and  stimulated  those  about  him  to  do  their  best  in  the 
profession,  the  practice  of  medicine  being  to  him  above  all  other 
considerations. 


CHANGES  IN  NAMES  OF  STATE  INSTITUTIONS  OF 
WEST  VIRGINIA. 

The  following  changes  have  been  made  in  the  names  of  the  state 
institutions  of  West  Virginia  : 

West  Virginia  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  located  at  Weston,  has 
been  changed  to  Weston  State  Hospital. 

Second  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  located  at  Spencer,  has  been 
changed  to  Spencer  State  Hospital. 

West  Virginia  Asylum,  located  at  Huntington,  has  been  changed 
tO'  Huntington  State  Hospital. 


ERRATA. 

Vol.  I,  page  428,  line  8,  "  certificates  for  two  physicians " 
should  read  "  certificate  from  a  physician." 

Vol.  I,  page  446,  line  11,  "  Sister  Charon  de  la  Barre  "  should 
be  "  Sieur  Charon  de  la  Barre."    Line  12,  "  her  "  should  be  "  him." 

Vol.  II,  page  93,  under  Appendix  A,  Report  of  Committee, 
October  3,  1842,  should  be  1822. 

Vol.  II,  page  439,  foot-note,  "  Dr.  M.  L.  Jones  "  should  be 
"  Dr.  M.  L.  Perry." 


INDEX. 

[This  Index  was  prepared  by  Mr.  Dysart  McMullen  and 
Miss  Mary  Brinkley.] 


Adams,  Dr.  George  S,  IV,  337. 
Addenda,  IV,  601. 
Administration  of  Hospitals,  Evolu- 
tion of  the,  I,  179- 
Afton    Villa    Sanitarium,    Ga.,    II, 

169. 
Agnew  Asylum,   Gal.     See  Agnew 

State  Hospital,  Gal.,  II,  24. 
Agnew  State  Hospital,  Gal.,  II,  36. 
Government,  II,  24-25. 
Officers,  II,  39. 
Alabama,  Gare  of  Insane  in,  I,  206, 
212;  II,  3. 
Gensus,  I,  412,  413,  418,  420. 
Golony   System,   I,    157;   II,   6. 
Gommitment,  I,  335 ;  II,  4. 
Griminal  Insane,  I,  349. 
Discharge,  I,  338. 
Government  of   Institutions,   I, 

184;  11,  3- 
Institutional  Population,  I,  401. 
Negro  Insane,  I,  212,  2,77,  379! 

11,  4,  9. 
Private  Patients,  II,  4. 
State  Gare,  II,  3-4. 
Alabama  Insane  Hospital,  The.  See 
Bryce  Hospital  and  Mt.  Ver- 
non Hospital,  Ala.,  II,  3,  5,  9. 
Alaska,  Gare  of  Insane  in,  III,  871 ; 
IV,  603. 
Gommitment,  III,  872. 
Albany    Hospital    (Pavilion    F),    I, 

259,  261,  263;  III,  261. 
Alberta,  Gare  of  Insane  in,  IV,   3, 
229. 
Gommitment,  I,  429. 
Establishment     of      Provincial 
Institutions,    I,  457;   IV,  3-4. 


Indian   Insane,  IV,  3. 
Previous    to    Establishment    of 
Provincial  Institutions,  I,  453 ; 
IV,  3- 
Alexander,   Gharles,  IV,  547. 
Alien-Born,    The,    in    Relation    to 

State  Gare,  I,  362. 
Allen,  Dr.  George,  IV,  337. 
Allen's  Invalid  Home,  Ga.,   II,  168. 
Allison,  Dr.  Henry  E.,  IV,  338. 
Alton   State  Hospital,  111.,  II,   179, 
296. 
Government,  II,  180. 
American  Journal  of  Insanity,  The, 

I,  75. 

American  Medico-Psychological  As- 
sociation 1893-1913,  The.  See 
Association  of  Medical  Su- 
perintendents, I,  53. 

Anderson,  Dr.  J.  J.,  IV,  548- 

Andrew  McFarland  Oak  Lawn  Re- 
treat, 111.,  II,  307. 

Andrews,  Dr.  Judson  B.,  State  Pro- 
vision for  Insane,  Buffalo 
State  Hospital,  III,  I79- 

Andrews,  Dr.  Judson  Boardman 
(biog.),  IV,  34X). 

Anna    State  Hospital,   111.,   II,   179, 
219. 
Government,  II,  180. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  II,  220-221. 

Anoka  State  Asylum,  Minn.,  I,  158; 

II,  838,  860. 
Government,  II,  838. 
Staff,  II,  861. 

Applegate,  Dr.  G.  F.,  Mt.  Pleasant 
State  Hospital,  la.,  II,  395. 

Architecture,  Development  of  Hos- 
pital, I,  204. 

Ardagh,  Dr.  John,  IV,  548. 


6o8 


INDEX 


Arizona,  Care  of  Insane  in,  II,  ii. 
Census,  I,  418,  420. 
Commitment,  I,  336;  II,  11. 
Discharge,  I,  338. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  401. 
Arizona  State  Hospital  for  the  In- 
sane, II,  II. 
Government,  I,   189;  II,   12. 
Officers,  II,  13. 
Arkansas,  Care  of  Insane  in,  II,  14. 
Census,  I,  412,  413,  418,  420. 
Commitment,  I,  336;   II,   14-15. 
Discharge,  I,  338. 
Government  of   Institutions.   I, 

184;  II,  14. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  402. 
Arkansas     State    Lunatic    Asylum. 
See  State  Hospital  for  Nerv- 
ous Diseases,  Ark.,  II,  14,  16. 
Association    of     Medical     Superin- 
tendents  of    American   Insti- 
tutions for  the  Insane,  1844- 
1893.    See  American  Medico- 
Psychological   Association,    I, 
II. 
Appendix,  I,  49. 
Change  of  Name  and  Reorgan- 
ization, I,  49. 
Establishment   of,   at   Philadel- 
phia, I,  II. 
Asylum.      See  '  McLean     Hospital, 

Mass.,  II,  601. 
Asylum  for   Chronic  Insane,   Wis., 

Ill,  858. 
Asylum    for    the    Chronic    Insane. 
See  Grafton    State  Hospital, 
Mass.,  II,  641. 
Asylum  for  Epileptics  and  Epileptic 
Insane.     See    Ohio    Hospital 
for  Epileptics,  III,  353. 
Asylum    for   Feeble-Minded   Child- 
ren.        See     Lincoln      State 
School    and    Colony,    111.,    II, 
298. 
Asylum   for    the   Incurable   Insane. 
See  State  Hospital  for  the  In- 
sane, R.  I.,  Ill,  565. 


Asylum  for  the  Insane.    See  Public 

Hospital  for  the  Insane,  B.  C, 

IV,  10. 
Asylum  for  Insane,  Kingston.     See 

Kingston   Asylum,    Ont.,    IV, 

151. 
Asylum  for  the  Insane,   St.  Johns, 

N.  F.,  IV,  332. 
Asylum  for  Insane,  Toronto.     See 

Toronto    Asylum,    Ont.,    IV, 

137 
Asylum  for  Insane  Criminals.    See 

Chester    State    Hospital,    111., 

II,  179. 

Asylum  for  Insane  Indians,  S.  Dak., 

I,  384-385,  386;  HI,  614,  630. 
Government,  III,  614. 

Staff,  HI,  632. 
Asylum  Periodicals,  I,  250. 
Athens  Asylum  for  the  Insane.  See 
Athens  State  Hospital,  Ohio, 

III,  320. 

Athens    Hospital    for    the    Insane. 

See    Athens    State    Hospital, 

Ohio,  III,  320. 
Athens      Lunatic      Asylum.        See 

Athens  State  Hospital,  Ohio, 

III,  320. 
Athens    State   Hospital,    Ohio,    III, 

298,  319. 
Government,  III,  299-300. 
Staff  and  Trustees,  III,  322-324. 
Atlantic  County  Asylum  for  Insane. 

See    Atlantic    County    Insane 

Asylum,  N.  J.,  Ill,  54. 
Atlantic     County     Insane    Asylum, 

N.  J.,  HI,  54,  105. 
Government,  III,  55. 
Auburn  Prison,  N.  Y.,  I,  349;  III, 

241. 
Augusta  State  Hospital,  Me.,  I,  204 ; 

II,  485,  488. 
Government,  II,  485. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  II,  495-497- 

Awl,  Dr.  William  Maclay,  IV,  342. 


INDEX 


609 


B 

Babcock,   Dr.  J.   W.,   Appendix    B, 
III,  611. 
State  Hospital  for  the  Insane, 
S.  C,  III,  587- 

Baldwin,  Dr.  Robert  R,  IV,  343- 

Bancroft,  Dr.  C.  P.,  Care  of  Insane 
in    New   Hampshire,   III,  22. 
New   Hampshire    State    Hospi- 
tal, III,  30. 

Bancroft,  Dr.  Jesse  P.,  IV,  345. 

Bangor  State  Hospital,  Me.,  II,  485, 
498. 
Government,  II,  485,  505. 
Stafif,  II,  508. 

Barksdale,   Dr.  Randolph,    IV,  347. 

Barlow,  Dr.  Charles  A.,  Care  of  In- 
sane in  West  Virginia,  III, 
803. 

Barrett,  Dr.  A.  M.,  State  Psycho- 
pathic Hospital  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan,  The,  I, 
266. 
State  Psychopathic  Hospital, 
Mich.,  II,  815. 

Bartlett,  Dr.  Cyrus  K.,  IV,  603. 

Bates,  Dr.  James,  IV,  348. 

Bay  View  Almshouse,  Md.,  II,  516. 

Bei^uchamp,   Dr.    John  Alfred,   IV, 

349. 

Beauport  Asylum,  P.  Q.,  I,  455 ;  IV, 
256. 

Beck  Asylum  for  the  Chronic  In- 
sane. See  Willard  State  Hos- 
pital, N.  Y.,  Ill,  180. 

Beck,  Dr.  Theodric  Romeyn,  IV, 
350. 

Beebe,  Dr.  Brooks  Ford,  IV,  351. 

Bell,  Hugh,  IV,  549. 

Bell,  Dr.  Luther  Vose,  IV,  352. 

Bemis,  Dr.  John   Merrick,  IV,  353. 

Bemis,  Dr.  Merrick,  IV,  354. 

Benedict,  Dr.  Nathan  D.,   IV,  356. 

Beneficence  Home,  Porto  Rico,  III, 


Bernstein,  Dr.  Charles,  Rome  State 
Custodial  Asylum,  N.  Y.,  Ill, 
258. 

Biddle,  Dr.  T.  C,  Topeka  State 
Hospital,  Kan.,  II,  434. 

Bilibid,  Manila,  P.  I.,  Ill,  876. 

Binghamton  Asylum.  See  Bing- 
hamton  State  Hospital,  N.  Y., 
Ill,  120. 

Binghamton  Asylum  for  the 
Chronic  Insane.  See  Bing- 
hamton State  Hospital,  N.  Y., 
Ill,  189. 

Binghamton  State  Hospital,  N.  Y., 
I,  167;  III,  120,  126,  130,  187. 
Government,  I,  187. 
Managers   and   Staff,   III,   192- 

193- 

Binghamton  State  Hospital  for  the 
Chronic  Insane.  See  Bing- 
hamton State  Hospital,  N.  Y., 
Ill,  187. 

Black,  Dr.  Harvey,  IV,  356. 

Blackburn,  Dr.  I.  W.,  IV,  358. 

Blackburn,  Dr.  I.  W.,  Dr.  George 
W.  Foster    (biog.),  IV,  404. 

Blackford,  Dr.   Benjamin,  IV,  359. 

Bliss,  Dr.  Geo.  S.,  Indiana  School 
for  Feeble-Minded  Youth,  II, 
386. 

Blockley  Almshouse.  See  Phila- 
delphia Hospital,  Pa.,  I,  88- 
89,  140,  144. 

Bloorningdale    Hospital,    N.    Y.,    I, 
94,  140,  183,  260,  313,  3 IS,  316, 
399;  III,  133. 
Government,  I,  187. 
Staff,  III,  150-151. 

Blumer,  Dr.  G.  Alder,  Butler  Hos- 
pital, III,  554- 
Care  of  Insane  in  Rhode  Island, 
in,  545. 

Bodington,  Dr.  George  Fowler,  IV, 
550. 

Bond,  Dr.  Edward  L.,  IV,  552. 

Bond,  The  Rt.  Rev.  William  Ben- 
nett, IV,  552. 


6io 


INDEX 


Booth,  Dr.  Chauncey,  IV,  360. 
Boston  Lunatic  Hospital.    See  Bos- 
ton State  Hospital,  Mass.,  I, 
144;  n,  591,  645. 
Boston    Psychopathic    Hospital,    I, 

260,  276;  n,  653-655. 
Boston  State  Hospital,  Mass.,  I,  94, 
144;  II,  591,  645. 
Government,  II,  594-596. 
Psychopathic   Hospital,    I,   260, 

276;   II,  653. 
Staff  and  Trustees,  II,  655-656. 
Brandon  Asylum,  Man.,  IV,  32. 
Brandon    Hospital.      See    Brandon 

Asylum,  Man.,  IV,  32. 
Brattleboro  Retreat,  Vt,  I,  85,  94, 
141,  179-180,  204,  250,  314,  315, 
316;  III,  673,  675. 
Appendix  A,  III,  698. 
Staff,  III,  696-697. 
Breezehurst     Terrace     Sanitarium, 

N.  Y.,  HI,  265. 
Bridgewater  State  Hospital,  Mass., 
II,  591,  592,  694. 
Government,  II,  595-596. 
Staff  and  Trustees,  II,  699-700. 
Brigham,  Dr.  Amariah,  IV,  360. 
Brigham  Hall,   N.  Y.,  I,  315;   III, 

263. 
British   Columbia,   Care  of   Insane 
in,  IV,  8. 
Chinese   and   Japanese   Insane, 

I,  480;  IV,  1S-16. 
Colony  System,  I,  157,  159;  IV, 

22. 
Commitment,  I,  430. 
Establishment  of  Provincial  In- 
stitutions, I,  456;  IV,  10. 
Indian  Insane,  IV,  8. 
Previous    to    Establishment    of 
Provincial  Institutions,  I,  452 ; 
IV,  8-10. 
British  Columbia  Mental   Hospital, 

IV,  22. 
Brockville  Asylum.  See  Hospital  for 
Insane,  Ont,  I,  454;  IV,  174. 


Brower,  Dr.  Daniel  Roberts,  IV, 
362. 

Brown,  Dr.  D.  Tilden,  IV,  2>^2i- 

Brown,  Dr.  John  Peaslee,  IV,  364. 

Brown,  Jonathan,  IV,  554. 

Brush,  Dr.  E.  N.,  Moses  Sheppard 
(biog.),  IV,  497- 
Sheppard     and     Enoch     Pratt 
Hospital,  II,  558. 

Bryce  Hospital,  Ala.,  I,  379;   II,  5. 
Government,  II,  3,  4. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  II,  8-9. 

Bryce,  Dr.  Peter,  IV,  366. 

Buchan,  Dr.  H.  E.,  IV,  555. 

Buchanan,  Dr.  J.  M.,  East  Missis- 
sippi Insane  Hospital,  II,  873. 

Bucke,  Dr.  Richard  Maurice,  IV, 
555- 

Buffalo  State  Asylum.  See  Buffalo 
State  Hospital,  N.  Y.,  HI, 
118. 

Buffalo    State    Hospital,    N.   Y.,   I, 
158,  167,  206,  244-245,  258;  III, 
118,  130,  179. 
Government,  I,  187, 
Managers  and   Staff,    III,   184- 

186. 
Training  School,  I,  301. 

Bullard,  Dr.  Ernest  L.,  Wisconsin 
System  of  County  Care  of 
Chronic  Insane,  HI,  824. 

Burgess,  Dr.  T.  J.  W.,  Care  of  In- 
sane in  Quebec,  IV,  237. 

Burland,  George  Bull,  IV,  558. 

Burlington  County  Hospital  for  the 
Insane,  N.  J.,  Ill,  54. 

Burr,  Dr.  C.  B.,  Oak  Grove  Hospi- 
tal. Mich.,  II,  831. 

Burrell,  Dr.  Dwight  R.,  IV,  367. 

Butler,  Cyrus,  IV,  368. 

Butler  Hospital,  R.  I.,  I,  83,  109,  140, 

204,    260,   314,   315,   316;    III, 

549-550,  554,  566. 

Act  in  relation  to.  III,  551-553. 

Appendix  A,  HI,  573. 

Officers  and  Staff,  III,  560-562. 


INDEX 


6ll 


Butler  Hospital  for  the  Insane.  See 
Butler    Hospital,    R.    I.,    IH, 

549- 
Butler,  Dr.  John  S.,  IV,  368. 
Buttolph,  Dr.  H.  A.,  IV,  370. 


Cabaniss,  Dr.  Alfred  B.,  IV,  372. 
Calder,  Dr.  Daniel  H.,  State  Mental 

Hospital,  Utah,  III,  667. 
California,  Care  of  Insane  in,  I,  206, 
317;  II,  24;  III,  206,  317. 
Appendix  A,  II,  58. 
Census,  I,  418,  420. 
Colony  System,  II,  47. 
Commitment,  I,  336;   II,  26-29. 
County  Care,   II,  24. 
Criminal  Insane,  I,  349;  II,  54. 
Detention  Hospitals,  I,  261-262. 
Discharge,  I,  338;  II,  29. 
Feeble-Minded,  II,  55. 
Government   of    Institutions,   I, 

184,  193. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  402. 
Investigation  of  Institutions,  I, 

196;  II,  24,  25. 
Private  Care,  I,  317;  II,  28,  59. 
State  Care,  I,  166;  II,  24. 
Training  Schools,  II,  26. 
Voluntary  Patients,  I,  344;  II, 
28. 
Callender,  Dr.  John  H.,  IV,  2,72. 
Camden    County   Hospital    for   the 
Insane,  N.  J.,  Ill,  54,  105. 
Government,   III,  55. 
Campbell,    Dr.    E.    H.,    Newberry 
State  Hospital,  Mich.,  II,  813. 
Campbell,     Dr.     Michael,     Eastern 
Hospital      for     the      Insane, 
Tenn.,  Ill,  643. 
Canada,  Care  of  Insane  in,  I,  423. 
Census  of  Insane,  I,  478. 
Establishment  of  Provincial  In- 
stitutions in,  I,  454. 
General       Considerations       in. 
Chapter  XIII,  I,  425. 


Government  and  Inspection  of 
Provincial  Institutions,  I,  458. 
Immigration  and   Care   of   In- 
sane, I,  472. 
Previous    to    EstabHshment   of 
Provincial  Institutions,  I,  446. 
Carey,  Dr.  H.  M.,  Eastern  Pennsyl- 
vania   State    Institution    for 
Feeble-Minded  and  Epileptic, 
HI,   515. 
Carpenter,  Dr.  Eugene   Grove,   IV, 

Z72- 
Catlett,  Dr.  George,  C,  IV,  374. 
Cave,    Dr.   F.   C,   State  Home   for 

Feeble-Minded,      Kans.,      II, 

Census  of  Insane  in  Canada,  I,  478. 
Census  of  the  Insane  in  the  United 
States,  I,  411. 
From  1850  to  1890,  I,  418. 
In  hospitals  from  1880  to  1910, 

I,  419. 
Population  of  the   Colonies  in 
1715,  I,  420. 
Central    Hospital    for    the    Insane, 
Tenn.,  I,  379;  III,  633,  636. 
Government,  III,  634. 
Central    Indiana    Hospital    for    In- 
sane, II,  312,  322,  339. 
Government,  II,  312,  313-316. 
Superintendents    and   Trustees, 

n,  335-338. 

Central  Islip  State  Hospital,  N.  Y., 
I,  213,  248-249;  III,  130,  207, 
227. 
Government,   I,    187. 
Managers   and    Staff,   III,   231- 
232. 

Central  Kentucky  Asylum  for  the 
Insane.  See  Central  State 
Hospital,  Ky.,  II,  467. 

Central  Lunatic  Asylum.  See  Cen- 
tral State  Hospital,  Va.,  Ill, 
740. 

Central  Ohio  Lunatic  Asylum.  See 
Columbus  State  Hospital, 
Ohio,  III,  320. 


6l2 


INDEX 


Central     State    Hospital,    Ky.,    II, 
450,  453,  454,  467- 
Government,  II,  450-453,  468. 
Stafif  and  Board  of  Control,  II, 
469-470. 
Central  State  Hospital,  Va.,  I,    159, 
378;  III,  705,  73^- 
Directors   and    Staff,    III,    770- 

771- 
Government,  III,  706. 

Chandler,  Dr.  George,  IV,  375. 

Channing     Sanitarium,     Mass.,     II, 
750. 

Channing,   Dr.  W.,   Channing  Sani- 
tarium, Mass.,  II,  750. 

Charity  Hospital,  Nev^r  Orleans,  II, 

473,  474- 
Chase,    Dr.     Robert     H.,     Friends' 
Asylum  for  the   Insane,   Pa., 

HI,  439. 

Cherokee    State    Hospital,    la.,    II, 

391,  417- 
Government,  II,  391. 
Staff,  II,  422. 
Chester  County  Home  and  Hospital 
for  the  Insane,  Pa.,  Ill,  526. 
Chester  State  Hospital,  111.,  II,  179, 
261. 
Government,  II,  180. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  II,  262. 
Chicago  Detention  Hospital,  II,  180. 
Chicago  State  Hospital,  111.,  I,  142, 
144;  II,  179,  280,  292. 
Consumptive  Hospital,   II,  287, 

288-289,  293. 
Cook  County  Infirmary,  II,  280- 

282,  285. 
Cook    County    Insane    Asylum, 

II,  282-291. 
Government,  II,   180. 
Officers,  II,  294-296. 
Chinese    and    Japanese    in    Institu- 
tions in  British  Columbia,  I, 
480. 
Chinese    and    Japanese    Insane    in 

u.  s.,  1, 393. 

Chipley,  Dr.  William  S.,  IV,  376. 


Chronic    and    Incurable    Insane,    I, 
147. 
In  Connecticut,  I,  150. 
In  Kentucky,  I,  150;  II,  454. 
In  Massachusetts,  II,  674,  694* 

710,  727,  738. 
In  Michigan,  II,  212. 
In  Minnesota,  II,  838. 
In  New   York,  I,   141,   147-150, 
151-153,213,401;  III,  114-115, 
116-117,  120-121,  213,  401. 
In  Nova  Scotia,  IV,  117. 
In  Ohio,  I,  151. 
In  Ontario,  IV,  181. 
In   Wisconsin,    I,    142-143,    146, 
168;  III,  824,  858. 
Cincinnati  Sanitarium,  O.,  Ill,  357. 
Officers  and  Staff,  III,  358-359. 
City  Asylum,  New  Orleans,  II,  478. 
City   Hospital.     See   Spring   Grove 
State  Hospital,  Md.,  II,   530. 
City   Sanitarium,  Mo.,  II,  876,  889. 
Government,  II,  891. 
Staff,  II,  894-896. 
Clarinda  State  Hospital,  la.,  I,  159; 

II,  391,  409- 
Government,   II,  391,  414. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  II,  416-417. 
Clark,   Dr.   C.   H.,   Cleveland   State 

Hospital,  Ohio,  III,  315. 
Lima  State  Hospital,  Ohio,  III, 

Clark,  Dr.  Daniel,  IV,  559. 

Clark,  Dr.  T.  Wood,  Utica  State 
Hospital,  N.  Y.,  Ill,  152. 

Cleaveland,  Dr.  Joseph  Manning, 
IV,  2>77- 

Cleveland  State   Hospital,   Ohio,   I, 
165;  III,  298,  299,  315. 
Government,  III,  299-300. 
Officers  and  Staff,  III,  318-319. 

Cobb,  Dr.  O.  H.,  Syracuse  State  In- 
stitution for  Feeble-Minded 
Children,  III,  248. 

Cobourg  Asylum,  Ont,  IV,   I79. 

Colony  for  Epileptics,  Sonyea, 
N.  Y.,  I,  209;  III,  131,  251. 


INDEX 


613 


Government,  I,  187. 
Managers  and  Staff,  III,  257. 
Colony  Farm.  See  British  Columbia 

Mental  Hospital,  IV,  23. 
Colony  System,  The,  I,  156. 
Alabama,  I,  157;  II,  6. 
British  Columbia,  I,  157. 
California,  II,  47. 
Colorado,  I,  213. 
Connecticut,  I,  157;  II,  91,  120- 

122. 
District  of  Columbia,  II,  147. 
Georgia,  I,  157,  159;  II,  165,  166. 
Idaho,  I,  157. 
Illinois,  I,  157;  II,  267. 
Iowa,  I,   157,  159;  II,  415,  420. 
Kansas,  I,  157,  159,  213. 
Louisiana,  I,  157,  159. 
Maine,  II,  493-494,  509. 
Maryland,  II,  530,  543. 
Massachusetts,   I,    157,   158;   II, 

660,    662,    702,    714,   715,    717, 

720-721,  734,  738,  746. 
Michigan,    I,    156-157,    160-161, 

212;  II,  772-77Z,  77 A- 
Minnesota,  I,  157,  158;  II,  866. 
New  Brunswick,  I,  157. 
New  Hampshire,  III,  35,  40. 
New  York,  I,  157,  158;  III,  157, 

158,  161,  166,  188,  190-191,  196, 

200,  217,  218,  227,  228,  238. 
Ohio,  I,  157,  158;  III,  313. 
Ontario,  I,  157;  IV,  170-171,  176. 
Oregon,  I,  157,  158;  III,  374. 
Pennsylvania,    I,    157;    III,  418, 

447-448,  486,  522,  523. 
Utah,  I,  157 ;  III,  797. 
Vermont,  III,  691-693. 
Virginia,   I,   157,   159;   III,  762, 

765. 
Washington,  I,  157. 
Colorado,  Care  of  Insane  in,  I,  213 ; 

11,60. 
Census,  I,  418,  420. 
Colony  System,  I,  213 ;   II,  6^. 
Commitment,  I,  335 ;  II,  60,  61. 
Criminal  Insane,  I,  350;  II,  61. 


Discharge,  I,  338: 
Feeble-Minded,  II,  64. 
Government  of   Institutions,   I, 

190;  II,  60. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  402. 
Investigation  of  Institutions,  I, 

197;  II,  60. 
Voluntary  Patients,  I,  344;    II, 
60. 
Colorado    State   Home  and    Train- 
ing   School    for    Mental   De- 
fectives, II,  60,  64. 
Government,  II,  60. 
Officers,  II,  66. 
Colorado  State  Insane  Asylum,  II, 
60,  62. 
Government,  II,  60,  63. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  II,  63-64. 
Columbus  Hospital  for  the  Insane, 
The.  See      Columbus      State 
Hospital,  Ohio,  III,  304. 
Columbus  State  Hospital,  O.,  I,  165 ; 
III,  298,  299,  303- 
Government,  III,  299-300. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  III,  309-311. 
Commercial    Hospital    and   Lunatic 
Asylum  of  Ohio,  III,  297,  298. 
Commitment  and  Discharge,  Volun- 
tary     Admissions,     Criminal 
Insane,  Chapter  IX,  I,  319. 
Commitment  of  the  Insane,  I,  331. 
Commitment   of   the    Insane,   Laws 

for,  in  Canada,  I,  427. 
Congregate  Dining  Rooms  in  Ohio, 

in,  359. 

Connecticut,   Care   of  Insane  in,  I, 

95,  183,  206,  314,  323;  II,  67. 

Appendix  A,  II,  93. 

Census,  I,  412,  413,  418,  419,  420. 

Colony  System,   I,   157 ;   II,  91, 

120-122. 
Commitment,    I,    332,    336;    II, 

74-75. 
County  Care,  I,  144;  II,  67,  et 

seq. 
Criminal  Insane,  I,  348,  349,  350 ; 
II,  73,  105-106,  107. 


6i4 


INDEX 


Early  and  Colonial  Care,  I,  83- 

85,  140;  II,  67-70. 
Epileptic,  II,  122,  129. 
Feeble-Minded,   II,   127. 
Government    of   Institutions,  I, 

184;  II,  n. 

Indigent  Patients,  II,  75. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  399, 

400,  402. 
Investigation  of  Institutions,  II, 

12,- 
Non-resident  Patients,  II,  75. 
Pauper  Patients,  II,  74. 
State  Care,  II,  ^2. 
Training   Schools,    II,    90,    123. 
Voluntary  Patients,  I,  344;  II, 
74. 
Connecticut   Colony  for  Epileptics, 
II,  ^z,  129. 
Government,  II,  'j'Z- 
Connecticut    Hospital    for    the    In- 
sane, II,  103. 
Government,  II,  Tz,  I03- 
Staff,   II,   lis. 
Connecticut    School    for    Imbeciles, 
II,  yz,  127- 
Government,  II,  TZ- 
Connecticut    Training    School    for 
the  Feeble-Minded.    See  Con- 
necticut School  for  Imbeciles, 
II,  128. 
Contract    System    in    Province    of 

Quebec,  I,  467. 
Cook   County   Consumptive   Hospi- 
tal, 111.,  II,  287,  288-289,  293. 
Cook  County  Infirmary.     See  Chi- 
cago  State  Hospital,   111.,   II, 
280-282,  285. 
Cook  County  Insane  Asylum.     See 
Chicago   State  Hospital,   111., 
II,  179,  282. 
Cook  County  Institution.     See  Chi- 
cago  State  Hospital,   111.,   II, 
291. 
Cook,  Dr.  George,  IV,  379. 
Cook,  Dr.  George  F.,  IV,  380. 


Copp,     Dr.     Owen,      Pennsylvania 
Hospital  for  the  Insane,  III, 
400. 
Dr.    Albert    Roscoe    Moulton, 
(biog.),  IV,  458. 
Cotton,  Dr.  Henry  A.,  New  Jersey 
State  Hospital,  Trenton,   III, 
S8. 
County  Care  of  the  Insane,  I,  144, 

168. 
Cowles,   Dr.   Edward,   Laboratories 
of  the  McLean  Hospital,  II, 
618. 
Training    Schools    for    Nurses 
and  the  First  School  in  Mc- 
Lean Hospital,  I,  289. 
Craig   Colony   for   Epileptics.     See 
Colony  for  Epileptics,  N.  Y., 
Ill,  252,  256. 
Craig,  Oscar,  IV,  381. 
"  Crazy     House "     Wayne    County 
Almshouse.     See    Eloise    In- 
firmary,  Mich.,  II,  756. 
Creedmore.    See  Long  Island  State 

Hospital,  N.  Y.,  Ill,  218. 
Criminal  Insane,  Care  of  the,  I,  348. 
Alabama,  I,  349. 
California,  I,  349;  II,  54. 
Colorado,  I,  350;  II,  61. 
Connecticut,  I,  348-349,  350;  II, 

TZ^  105-106,  107. 
District  of  Columbia,  I,  350;  II, 

147. 
Georgia,  I,  350. 

Illinois,  I,  350;  II,  233,  261,  270. 
Indiana,  I,  350;  II,  321,  379. 
Iowa,  I,  350;  II,  391,  423. 
Kansas,  I,  350;  II,  447. 
Kentucky,  II,  453,  460. 
Louisiana,  I,  350;   II,  473,  476. 
Maine,  I,  350;  II,  492-493- 
Massachusetts,  I,   105-108,  350; 

n,  592,  595- 
Michigan,  I,  349;  II,  801. 
Minnesota,  I,  350;  II,  851. 
Mississippi,  II,  873. 
Nevada,  III,  18. 


INDEX 


615 


New  Hampshire,  I,  350;  III,  27. 
New  Jersey,  I,  350;  III,  82. 
New  York,  I,  348,  349;  III,  112, 

114,  241,  245. 
North    Carolina,    I,    350;    III, 

287. 
North  Dakota,  III,  293. 
Ohio,  I,  350;  III,  308,  333. 
Ontario,  IV,  166. 
Pennsylvania,   I,  351;   III,  395, 

431,  500- 

Rhode  Island,  I,  351. 

Vermont,  I,  351 ;  III,  702. 

Virginia,   I,  351;   III,  706,  707, 
759,  l(>'2,  767,  769,  774. 

Washington,  I,  351 ;  III,  790. 

West  Virginia,  III,  808. 

Wisconsin,  III,  848. 

Work  of  Miss  Dix  in  Massa- 
chusetts, I,  105. 
Crownsville  State  Hospital,  Md.,  I, 
378;  II,  516,  541- 

Government,  II,  516-517. 

Managers  and  Staff,  II,  546. 
Crumbacker,   Dr.   W.    P.,   Indepen- 
dence State  Hospital,  la.,  II, 

404. 
Cumberland    County    Hospital    for 
Insane,  N.  J.,  Ill,  54,  106. 
Government,  III,  55. 
Curwen,  Dr.  John,  IV,  382. 
Cutter,  Dr.  Nehemiah,  IV,  384. 

D 

Dannemora  Prison,  N.  Y.,  Ill,  242, 

24s. 
Dannemora  State  Hospital,  N.   Y., 
I,  167,  349;  III,  130,  131,  245. 
Government,  III,  131. 
Staff,  III,  247. 
Danvers    State   Hospital,   Mass.,   I, 
158,   229,   258,    284,   285;    II, 
592,  701. 
Government,  II,  595-596. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  II,  708-709. 
Dayton    State    Hospital,    Ohio,    III, 
298,  299,  312. 


Government,  III,  399-300. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  III,  314-315. 
Delaware,  Care  of  Insane  in,  I,  142 ; 

II,  133- 

Census,  I,  412,  413,  418,  419,  420. 

Commitment,  I,  336. 

Discharge,  I,  338. 

Early  and  Colonial  Care,  I,  89; 
II,  133. 

Government  of   Institutions,  I, 
184;  II,  134. 

Institutional  Population,  I,  402. 

Negro  Insane,  I,  380. 

State  Care,  II,  133,  134. 
Delaware   State  Hospital   at  Farn- 
hurst,  II,  136. 

Government,  II,  134,  136. 

Trustees  and  Staff,  II,  140. 
Dent,  Dr.  Emmet  C,  IV,  384. 
Department    for    the    Training    of 
Imbeciles  and  the  Custody  of 
Idiots.  See  Minnesota  School 
for  Feeble-Minded  and  Epi- 
leptic, II,  864. 
Detention  Hospitals,  I,  261. 

California,  I,  261-262. 

District  of  Columbia,  I,  265. 

Illinois,  II,  180. 

Massachusetts,  I,  263. 

Michigan,  I,  263. 

Minnesota,   I,  263;   II,  842-844, 
851. 

Pennsylvania,  I,  263-265. 

South  Carolina,  I,  265. 

Tennessee,  I,  265. 
Development     and     Extension     of 
Methods  of  Treatment,  Chap- 
ter VI,  I,  215. 
Dewey,    Dr.    Richard,    Elgin    State 
Hospital,  111.,  II,  203. 

Jacksonville  State  Hospital,  111., 
II,  186. 

Kankakee    State    Hospital,    111., 
II,  222. 
Dewing,  Dr.  Oliver  M.,  IV,  385. 
DeWolf,  Dr.  James  Ratchford,  IV, 
561. 


6i6 


INDEX 


Dexter  Hospital,  I,  83;  III,  549. 
Dickson,    Dr.   John    Robinson,    IV, 

562. 
Discharge,  Conditions  of,  I,  338. 
District  of  Columbia,   Care  of  In- 
sane in,  I,  179,  206;  II,  141. 
Census,  I,  412,  413,  418,  419. 
Colony  System,  II,  147. 
Criminal  Insane,  I,  350. 
Detention  and   Commitment,  I, 

26s,  336;  II,  142,  143. 
Discharge,  I,  338. 
Dorothea  L.  Dix,  Work  of,  II, 

144-14S,  146. 
Government  of   Institutions,   I, 

184,  185. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  402. 
Voluntary  Patients,  I,  344. 
Washington    Asylum    Hospital, 
Psychopathic    Department,    I, 
265. 
Dix,  Dorothea  L.,  and  Her  Work, 

I,  87,  91,  96-97,  152-153,  180; 

II,  3,  6,  87,  144,  14s,  159,  178, 
186-187,  868,  871;  III,  116, 
280,  282,  384-385,  427,  431, 
50s,  633,  636-637,  745 ;  IV,  108, 
no. 

And    Canadian    Institutions,    I, 

481. 
Appendix,  I,  482. 
Dix,  Miss,  Philanthropic  Work  of. 

Chapter  III,  I,  99,  loi. 
Dix     Hill.       See     State     Hospital, 
Raleigh,  N.  C,  I,  91 ;  III,  282. 
Dixmont   Hospital  for  the   Insane, 
Pa.,  Ill,  385,  456. 
Managers   and    Stafif,   III,  458- 
460. 
Dr.  Barnes'    Sanitarium,  Conn.,  II, 

131- 
Dr.  Bond's  House,  N.  Y.,  Ill,  269. 
Dr.  Brawner's  Sanitarium,  Ga.,  II, 

169. 
Dr.  Broughton's  Sanitarium,  111.,  II, 

308. 
Dr.  Kellogg's  Plouse,  N.  Y.,  HI,  269. 


Dr.  MacDonald's  House,  N.  Y.,  Ill, 

266. 
Dr.  Moody's  Sanitarium,  Tex.,  Ill, 

665. 
Dodson,  Dr.  Roy,  Second  Hospital 

for  the  Insane,  West  Va.,  Ill, 

813. 
Douglas,  Dr.  James,  IV,  562. 
Draper,  Dr.  Joseph,  IV,  386. 
Drewry,    Dr.    William    F.,    Central 

State  Hospital,  Va.,  HI,  733. 
Dr.  R.  Barksdale  ,  (biog.),  IV, 

347- 
Duncan,  Alexander,  IV,  2^7. 
Duquet,   Dr.   E.   Evariste,   IV,   566. 
Dysart,  Dr.  Robert  J.,  IV,  387. 


Earle,  Dr.  Pliny,   IV,  388. 
Early  and  Colonial  Care  of  the  In- 
sane, I,  81. 

Connecticut,    I,   83-85,    140;    II, 
67-70. 

Delaware,  I,  89;  II,  133. 

Georgia,  I,  91-92;  II,  158. 

Maryland,  I,  89-90;  II,  510-512. 

Massachusetts,  I,  81-82,  140;  II, 
582-585. 

New  Hampshire,  I,  85,  140;  III, 
22-25. 

New  Jersey,  I,  87-88;  III,  48-50. 

New  York,   I,  86-87,   140;   HI, 
110-113. 

North  Carolina,  I,  91. 

Pennsylvania,  I,  88-89,  140;  HI, 
381-384. 

Rhode  Island,  I,  82-83,  140;  HI, 
545-549- 

South  Carolina,  I,  91 ;  HI,  583- 
584. 

Vermont,  I,  85. 

Virginia,  I,  90-91 ;  III,  703-704. 
Early   Legislation    for    the    Insane, 

Chapter  II,  I,  79. 
East  Louisiana  Hospital  for  the  In- 
sane, I,  159;  II,  473,  474. 


INDEX 


617 


Government,  II,  473. 
Stafif,  II,  480. 
East    Mississippi    Insane    Hospital, 
II,  869,  873. 
Government,  II,  869. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  II,  874-875. 
Eastern    Hospital    for    the    Insane, 
Tenn.,  I,  379,  III,  633,  643. 
Government,  HI,  634. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  III,  646. 
Eastern    Hospital    for    the    Insane, 
Wash.,  Ill,  789,  796. 
Government,  III,  790. 
Staff,  III,  798. 
Eastern    Indiana    Hospital    for    the 
Insane,    I,   213;    II,   310,   311, 
340-344,  358. 
Appendix  A,  II,  363. 
Government,  II,  313-316. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  II,  362-363. 
Eastern  Lunatic  Asylum.    See  East- 
ern   State   Hospital,    Ky.,    II, 
450,  455- 
Eastern  Lunatic  Asylum.    See  East- 
ern State  Hospital,   Va.,  HI, 
711. 
Eastern  Maine  Insane  Asylum.    See 
Bangor    State   Hospital,   Me., 
II,  485- 
Eastern     Michigan     Asylum.       See 
Pontiac  State  Hospital,  Mich., 
II,  758. 
Eastern  Ohio  Asylum   for  the   In- 
sane.     See    Massillon    State 
Hospital,  Ohio,  III,  298,  330. 
Eastern  Oregon  State  Hospital,  III, 
371,  2>72,  379- 
Government,  III,  371. 
Eastern    Pennsylvania    State    Insti- 
tution for  the  Feeble-Minded 
and    Epileptic,    III,     386-387, 

SIS- 
Government,  III,  389-390. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  III,  515. 
Eastern  Shore  State  Hospital,  Md., 
II,  516,  547- 


Government,   II,  S16-517. 

Managers  and  Staff,  II,  549. 
Eastern    Shore   State   Hospital    for 
the     Insane.       See     Eastern 
Shore    State    Hospital,    Md., 

II,  547. 

Eastern  State  Hospital,   Ky.,  I,  95, 
372;  II,  450,  453,  455- 
Government,  II,  450. 

Eastern  State  Hospital,  Va.,  I,  90- 
91,  93-94,  95,  163,  164,  183, 
290,   314,    371,   372,   277,   399; 

III,  703-704,  708. 
Directors  and  Staff,  III,  714-718. 
Government,  III,  706. 

Eastman,  Dr.  Bernard  D.,  IV,  390. 
Easton    Sanitarium,    Pa.,    The,    III, 

537- 
Edenharter,  Dr.  G.  R,  Central  In- 
diana Hospital  for  Insane,  II, 
322. 
Edwards,    Dr.   William   Milan,   IV, 

391. 
Elgin   State    Hospital,    111.,   II,    178, 
203. 
Government,  II,  180. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  II,  217-218. 
Elliot,  Dr.  Edward  Pierson,  IV,  392. 
Elm  Croft,  Conn.,  II,  131. 
Eloise   Hospital,    Mich.,   I,    141-142, 
145  ;  11,  7S9,  824. 
Eloise  Hospital,  II,  824. 
Eloise  Infirmary,  II,  824. 
Eloise  Sanitarium,  II,  824. 
Government,  II,  763. 
Emerson,    Dr.    E.    B.,    Bridgewater 
State  Hospital,  Mass.,  II,  694. 
Employment  for  the  Insane,  I,  242. 
Era  of  Awakening,  The,  I,  93. 
Errata,  IV,  606. 
Eskridge,  Dr.  Jeremiah  Thomas,  IV, 

393- 
Essex  County  Asylum  for  the  In- 
sane.      See     Essex     County 
Hospital  for  the  Insane,  N.  J., 
Ill,   lOI. 


6i8 


INDEX 


Essex  County  Hospital  for  the  In- 
sane, N.  J.,  Ill,  54,  98. 
Government,  III,  55. 
Officers,   III,   104-105. 

Establishment  of  Provincial  Insti- 
tutions, I,  455. 

Evans,  Dr.  B.  D.,  The  New  Jersey- 
State  Hospital,  Morris  Plains, 
III,  86. 

Everts,  Dr.  Orpheus,  IV,  394. 

Evolution  of  the  Administration  of 
Hospitals,  I,   179. 

Evolution  of  Institutional  Care  in 
the  United  States,  I,  139. 

Experimental  Removals,  I,  256. 

Eyman,  Dr.   Henry  C,   Congregate 
Dining  Rooms    in  Ohio,   III, 
359- 
Massillon  State  Hospital,  Ohio, 
III,  330. 

Eyrie  Sanitarium,  Pa.,  The,  III,  538. 


Fafard,  L'Abbe  A.,  IV,  567. 
Fairview  Sanitarium,   Pa.,  Ill,  538. 
Falconwood  Hospital,  P.  E.  I.,  IV, 

203. 
Parish,    Thos.    E.,    Arizona    State 
Hospital  for  the  Insane,    II, 
II. 
Farris,    Dr.    G.    K.,    Chester    State 

Hospital,  111.,  II,  261. 
Faxon,  J.  G.,  Gardner  State  Colony, 

Mass.,  II,  738. 
Fayette  Hospital.  See  Eastern  State 

Hospital,  Ky.,  II,  455,  456. 
Feeble-Minded    in    Institutions,    I, 
421. 
California,  II,  55. 
Colorado,  II,  64. 
Connecticut,  II,  127. 
Idaho,  II,  177. 
Illinois,  II,  291,  298. 
Indiana,  II,  386. 
Iowa,  II,  424. 
Kansas,  II,  448. 


Kentucky,  II,  471. 
Maine,  II,  509. 
Maryland,  II,  573. 
Massachusetts,  II,  674,  748. 
Michigan,  IV,  601. 
Minnesota,  II,  863. 
Missouri,  II,  888. 
New  Hampshire,  III,  45. 
New   York,   III,  248,   250,   258, 

259- 

North  Carolina,  III,  280. 

North  Dakota,  III,  294. 

Ohio,  III,  350. 

Oklahoma,  III,  368. 

Ontario,  IV,  158,  159,  188. 

Oregon,  III,  380. 

Pennsylvania,  III,  504,  511,  515. 

Rhode  Island,  III,  571. 

Washington,  III,  800. 

Wisconsin,  III,  850. 
Fergus  Falls  State  Hospital,  Minn., 
1,263:11,838,856. 

Government,  II,  838. 

Staff,  II,  859-860. 
Field,  Dr.  Matthew  Dickinson,  IV, 

395- 
Finley,  Samuel,  IV,  569. 
Firestone,  Dr.  Leander,  IV,  396. 
Fisher,  Dr.  Edward  Carrington,  IV, 

397. 
Fisher,    Dr.    Theodore   Willis,    IV, 

398. 
Flint,  Dr.  Austin,  IV,  399. 
Flood,  Dr.   Everett,   Monson   State 

Hospital,  Mass.,  II,  733. 
Florida,  Care  of  Insane  in,  II,  154. 
Census,  I,  413,  418,  419. 
Commitment,  I,  336;   II,  154. 
Discharge,  I,  339. 
Government   of   Institutions,   I, 

189;  II,  154. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  402. 
Negro   Insane,  I,   379,   380;   II, 

156. 
Pay  Patients,  II,  154. 
Florida  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  I, 
379;  II,  154,  156. 


INDEX 


619 


Government,  I,  189;  II,  154. 

Officers,  II,  157. 
Folsom,    Dr.    Charles    FoUin,    IV, 

401. 
Folsom  State  Hospital,  Cal.,  II,  24, 

54- 
Government,  II,  24-25. 

Fonerden,  Dr.  John,  IV,  403. 

Foster,  Dr.  George  W.,  IV,  404. 

Foxborough  State  Hospital,  Mass., 
I,  158;  II,  592-593,  724. 
Government,  II,  595-596. 
Staff  and  Trustees,  II,  725-726. 

Fraser,  A.  D.,  Care  of  Insane  in 
Prince  Edward  Island,  IV, 
203. 

Fremont,  Dr.  Jacques,  IV,  569. 

French,  Dr.  Edw.,  Medfield  State 
Hospital,  Mass.,  II,  727. 

Friends'  Asylum  for  the  Insane,  Pa., 

I,  88,  94,  95,  179,  184,  204,  231, 

246,  290,  314;  III,  383-384,  439- 

Officers  and  Staff,  III,  452-455- 

Frost,  Dr.  H.  P.,  Boston  State  Hos- 
pital, Mass.,  II,  645. 

Fuller,  Dr.  Francis  Taylor,  IV,  405. 

Fuller,  Dr.  Silas,  IV,  406. 


Gale,  Dr.  R.  H.,  IV,  406. 
Gait,  Dr.  Alexander  D.,  IV,  407. 
Gait,  Dr.  John  M.,  Jr.,  IV,  408. 
Gait,  Dr.  John  Minson,  IV,  408. 
Gardner    State    Colony,    Mass.,    I, 
158;  II,  593,  738. 
Government,  II,  595-596. 
Staff,  II,  745- 
Gardner,  Dr.  W.  E.,   Central  State 

Hospital,  Ky.,  II,  467. 
General  Hospital  at  Quebec,  IV,  245. 
General    Hospital    of    Ville-Marie, 

P.  Q.,  IV,  248. 
Georgia,  Care  of  Insane  in,  I,  157, 
206;  II,  158. 
Census,  I,  413,  418,  419. 
Colony  System,  I,  157,  159;  II, 
165,  166. 

48 


Commitment,    I,    332,    335;    II, 

159-160. 
Criminal  Insane,  I,  350. 
Discharge,  I,  339. 
Early  and  Colonial  Care,  I,  91, 

92;  II,  158. 
Government  of   Institutions,   I, 

184,  185 ;  II,  159. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  402. 
Negro  Insane,   I,  378;   II,   163, 

164,  165. 
State  Care,  II,   159,  161. 
Training  School,  II,  167. 
Georgia    State    Sanitarium,    1,  g2, 
159;  II,  161. 
Asylum    for   Negroes,   II,    164, 

165. 
Government,  II,  159. 
Staff,  II,  167. 
Gilliam,  Dr.  Charles  Frederick,  IV, 

410. 
Gilman,   Dr.   Henry  Artemus,    IV, 

411. 
Givens,  Dr.  J.  W.,  Care  of  Insane 

in  Idaho,  II,  170. 
Gladwyne  Colony,  Pa.,  Ill,  539. 
Glenmary   Sanitarium,    N.    Y.,   Ill, 

27a 
Gloucester  County  Almshouse  and 

Asylum,  N.  J.,  Ill,  54. 
Goddard,  William,  IV,  411, 
Godding,  Dr.  William  Whitney,  IV, 

412. 
Goldsmith,  Dr.  William  B.,  IV,  413. 
Goodner,    Dr.    R.    A.,    Arma    State 

Hospital,  111.,  II,  219. 
Gordon,  Dr.  W.  A.,  IV,  413. 
Gorst,  Dr.  Charles,  Wisconsin  State 
Hospital  for  Insane,  III,  840. 
Gorton,    Dr.    William   Arthur,    IV, 

414. 
Goss,    Dr.    A.    V.,    Taunton    State 

Hospital,   Mass.,  II,   657. 
Government    Hospital   for   the   In- 
sane,   Washington,   D.    C,    I, 
261,  265,  285;  II,  144. 
Class  of  Patients,  II,  141. 


620 


INDEX 


Criminal  Insane,  II,  147. 

Government,  II,  142. 

Medical   Officers,   Visitors   and 

Staff,  II,  151-153- 
Negro  Insane,  I,  372;  II,  I45- 
Government  and  Inspection  of  Pro- 
vincial  Institutions.      System 
of  Care  in  Provinces  of  Can- 
ada, I,  458. 
Government    and    Management    of 
Hospitals.     Architecture, 
Chapter  V,  I,  i77. 
Government,    Present,    of    Institu- 
tions for  Insane,  I,  183. 
Gowanda  State  Homeopathic  Hos- 
pital, N.  Y.,  Ill,  130,  233. 
Government,  I,  187. 
Managers    and   Staff,   III,  235- 
236. 
Grafton    State    Hospital,    Mass.,  I, 
158;  II,  592,  710. 
Government,  II,  595-596. 
Grafton  Colony,  I,  158;  II,  714, 

715-717. 
Staff,  II,  717-718. 

Granger,  Dr.  Wm.  D.,  First  Train- 
ing School  at  the  Buffalo 
State  Hospital,  I,  301. 

Gray,  Dr.  John  Purdue,  IV,  415. 

"Green  Meadows,"  Philadelphia,  I, 
88;  III,  516. 

Green,  Dr.  Thomas  F.,  IV,  417. 

Greenmount,  N.  Y.,  Ill,  271. 

Grissom,  Dr.  Eugene,  IV,  418. 

Gulf   Coast  Sanatorium,    Miss.,  II, 

875. 

Gundry,  Dr.  Richard,  IV,  418. 

Gundry,  The  Richard,  Home,  II, 
578. 

Guth,  Dr.  Morris  S.,  IV,  420. 

Guthrie,  Dr.  L.  V.,  The  West  Vir- 
ginia Asylum,  III,  821. 

H 

Hall,  Dr.  John  C,  IV,  421. 
Hallock,  Dr.  Winthrop  Bailey,  IV, 
422. 


Hamilton  Asylum,  Ont.,  I,  454;  IV, 

163. 
Harlow,  Dr.  Henry  Mills,  IV,  423. 
Harmon,  Dr.  Frank  W.,  Longview 

Hospital,  Ohio,  III,  336. 
Harrington,   Dr.   Arthur   H.,   State 

Hospital  for  the  Insane,  R.  I., 

in,  563. 

Harris,  Dr.  Isham  G.,  Mohansic 
State  Hospital,  N.  Y.,  Ill, 
236. 

Harrison,  George  L.,  IV,  424. 

Hartford  Retreat,  Conn.,  I,  84,  94, 
95,  140,  183-184,  204,  230,  235, 
242,   244,    250,   315,   316,   399, 
400;  II,  71,  72,  76. 
Appendix,  II,  93. 
Officers,  II,  91-93. 

Plaskell,  Dr.  R.  H.,  Ionia  State  Hos- 
pital, Mich.,  II,  801. 

Hastings    State   Asylum,    Minn.,   I, 
158;  II,  838,  861. 
Government,  II,  838-840. 

Hatch,  Dr.  F.  W.,  Care  of  Insane  in 
California,  II,  24. 

Hattie,  Dr.  W.  H.,  Nova  Scotia 
Hospital,  IV,  102. 

Haviland,  Dr.  Walter  A.,  Dr.  John 
Merrick  Bemis  (biog.),  IV, 
353. 

Hawaiian  Islands,  Care  of  Insane 
in,  III,  873. 

Hawthorne,  Dr.  J.  C,  IV,  425. 

Hazard,  Thomas  R.  (biog.),  IV,  425. 

Hazard,  Thomas  R.  (Poor  and  In- 
sane in  R.  I.),  Appendix  A, 
III,  572. 

Henry    Phipps    Psychiatric    Clinic, 
Md.,  I,  260;  II,  571. 
Staff,  II,  573- 

Hetherington,  Dr.  George  A.,  IV, 
570. 

Hickey,  Dr.  Charles  Erastus,  IV, 
570. 

Hill,  Dr.  S.  S.,  State  Asylum  for 
Chronic  Insane,  Pa.,  Ill,  489. 


INDEX 


621 


HolHster,  Dr.  Frederick  M.,  Ches- 
ter County  Home  and  Hospi- 
tal for  the  Insane,  Pa.,  Ill, 
526. 

Home  for  the  Care  and  Treatment 
of  Feeble-Minded  Children, 
Cal.  See  Sonoma  State 
Home,  Cal.,   II,  55. 

Home  for  Incurables.  See  V/est 
Virginia  Asylum,  The,  III, 
821. 

Home  for  Incurables,  Portage  la 
Prairie,  IV,  29,  34. 

Homeopathic    State    Hospital,    Pa., 

III,  38s,  493- 
Government,  III,  389-390. 
Staff,  III,  499-500. 

Homewood  Retreat,  Ont.,  IV,  195, 
Hooper,  Dr.  Philo  O.,  IV,  603. 
Hopital   General   at   Montreal,   IV, 

251,  et  seq. 
Hopital  General  at  Quebec,  IV,  251. 
Hopital  Ursulines  at  Three  Rivers, 

IV,  251,  et  seq. 

Hospice  Ste.  Anne  Baie  St.  Paul. 
See  St,  Anne's  Hospital,  Que- 
bec,  IV,   289. 

Hospicio  de  San  Jose,  Manila,  P.  I., 
Ill,  876. 

Hospital  Architecture,  Develop- 
ment of,  I,  204. 

Hospital      Farm      for      Inebriates, 
Minn.,  II,  862. 
Government,   II,  838-840. 
Staff,   II,  863. 

Hospital  for  Criminal  Insane,  Kans., 

II,  427. 

Hospital  for  Criminal  Insane,  Wis., 

HI,  83s,  848. 
Hospital  for  the  Dangerous  Insane, 

Kans.,  II,  427,  447. 
Government,  II,  428. 
Hospital   for   Epileptics,    Ont.,   IV, 

193- 
Hospital  for  Incurables.    See  Long 

Island  State  Hospital,  N.  Y.,i 

III,  216. 


Hospital  for  Insane,  Kingston,  The. 
See  Kingston  Asylum,   Ont., 
IV,  147. 
Hospital  for  Insane,  Neb.,  Ill,  8,  10. 
Government,  III,  8. 
Officers,  III,  II. 
Hospital    for    the    Insane    of    Ne- 
braska.    See    Norfolk    State 
Hospital,  Neb.,  Ill,  12. 
Hospital  for  Insane,  Ont.,  IV,  174. 
Inspectors  and  Medical  Officers, 

IV,  177-179. 

Hospital  for   the  Insane,   Pa.,   Ill, 
531. 
Staff,  III  535- 

Hospital  for  the  Insane  in  Ten- 
nessee. See  Central  Hospital 
for  the  Insane,  Tenn.,  Ill, 
637. 

Hospital  for  the  Negro  Insane  of 
Maryland.  See  Crownsville 
State  Hospital,  Md.,  II,  516, 
541- 

Hospital  in  the  Vicinity  of  Balti- 
more. See  Spring  Grove 
State  Hospital,  Md.,  II,  530. 

Hotchkiss,  Dr.  W.  M.,  State  Hospi- 
tal for  the  Insane,  N.  D.,  Ill, 
291. 

Hotel  Dieu  of  Montreal,  IV,  242. 

Hotel  Dieu  of  Quebec,  IV,  242-245. 

Hotel  Dieu  of  Three  Rivers,  IV, 
247. 

Houston,  Dr  J.  A.,  Northampton 
State  Hospital,  Mass.,  II,  664. 

Howard's  Grove  Asylum.  See  Cen- 
tral State  Hospital,  Va.,  I, 
2,77;  HI,  70s,  726. 

Howard,  Dr.  Henry,  IV,  571. 

Hoyt,  Dr.  Frank  Crampton,  IV,  426. 

Hudson  County  Hospital  for  the 
Insane,  N.  J.,  Ill,  54,  106. 

Hudson  River  State  Asylum.  See 
Hudson  River  State  Hospital, 
N.  Y.,  Ill,  117. 


622 


INDEX 


Hudson  River  State  Hospital,  N.  Y., 

1, 158, 167;  in,  117, 130, 165, 
180. 

Government,  I,  187. 

Managers   and   Staff,   HI,   168- 

169. 
Hughes,  Dr.  Daniel  E.,  IV,  427. 
Hummer,     Dr.     H.     R.       Insanity 

Among    the    Indians    at    the 

Asylum  in  South  Dakota,  I, 

386. 
Hun,    Dr.    Edward    Reynolds,    IV, 

428. 
Huntington    State    Hospital,    West 

Va.    See  West  Virginia  Asy- 
lum, IV,  605. 
Hurd,  Dr.  Arthur  W.,  Buffalo  State 

Hospital,  N.  Y.,  Ill,  179. 
Hutchinson,  Dr.  Henry  A.,  Dixmont 

Hospital  for  the  Insane,  Pa., 

Ill,  456. 


Idaho,  Care  of  Insane  in,  I,  248;  II, 
170,  171,  174,  177. 

Census,  I,  418,  420. 

Colony  System,  I,  157. 

Commitment,  I,  336;  II,  171. 

Discharge,  I,  339. 

Feeble-Minded     and    Epileptic, 
II,  177. 

Government   of   Institutions,   I, 
184,  185;  II,  170. 

Institutional  Population,  I,  403. 
Idaho  Insane  Asylum,  II,   170,  171. 

Government,  II,  170. 

Superintendents,  II,  173. 
Idaho      Sanitarium      for      Feeble- 
Minded  and  Epileptic,  II,  177. 

Government,  II,  170. 
Illinois,  Care  of  Insane  in,  I,   142, 
206,  210,  285,  317;  II,  178. 

Census,  I,  412,  413,  418,  419. 

Colony  System,  I,  157;  II,  267. 

Commitment,    I,    335,    336;    II, 
184-185. 


Criminal  Insane,  I,  350;  II,  233, 
261,  270. 

Discharge,  I,  339. 

Epileptic,  II,  305. 

Feeble-Minded,  II,  291,  298. 

Government  of   Institutions,   I, 
189,  190,  192;  II,  180-182. 

Institutional  Population,  I,  403; 
II,  180-181. 

Investigation  of  Public  Institu- 
tions,   I,    197. 

Private   Patients,   II,    184,   307, 
308. 

State  Care,  I,  165;  II,  178,  243, 

Training  Schools,  II,   198,  199, 
237,  241,  243,  271,  301-302. 

Voluntary  Patients,  I,  344-355; 
II,  184. 

Work  of  Dorothea  L.  Dix,  II, 
178,  186-187. 
Illinois   Asylum   for   the   Incurable 
Insane,     The.       See     Peoria 
State  Hospital,  111.,  II,  179. 
Illinois  Central  Hospital  for  the  In- 
sane.   See  Jacksonville  State 
Hospital,  111.,  II,  178. 
Illinois    Colony    for    Epileptics,    II, 
180,  305. 

Government,  II,  180. 
Illinois    Eastern    Hospital    for   the 
Insane.    See  Kankakee  State 
Hospital,  111.,  II,  179. 
Illinois    General    Hospital    for    the 
Insane,     The.       See     Peoria 
State  Hospital,  111.,  II,  179. 
Illinois   Northern  Hospital  for  the 
Insane.    See  Elgin  State  Hos- 
pital, 111.,  II,  178. 
Illinois   Southern  Hospital    for  the 
Insane.    See  Anna  State  Hos- 
pital, 111.,  II,  179,  219. 
Illinois   State  Hospital  for  the  In- 
sane.    See  Jacksonville  State 
Hospital,  111.,  II,  178,  187. 
Illinois    State    Psychopathic    Insti- 
tute, II,  180,  242-243,  259. 

Government,  II,  180. 


INDEX 


623 


Illinois  Western  Hospital  for  the 
Insane.  See  Watertown  State 
Hospital,  111.,  II,  179. 

Immigration  and  the  Care  of  the  In- 
sane, I,  355. 

Immigration  and  the  Care  of  Insane 
in  Canada,  I,  472. 

Immigration  as  a  Factor  in  the  In- 
crease   of    Insanity,    Chapter 

X,  1, 353. 

Independence  State  Hospital,  la.,  II, 

391,  404- 

Government,  II,  391,  406. 

Trustees  and  Staff,  II,  407,  408. 
Indian  Insane  in  Canada,  IV,  3,  8, 

26-27,  220,  237-240. 
Indiana,  Care  of  Insane  in,  I,  213; 
n,  309,  322. 

Appendix  A,  Additional  Hospi- 
tals, II,  363. 

Board    of     Commissioners    of 
Additional  Hospitals,  II,  339. 

Census,  I,  412,  413,  418,  420. 

Commitment,    I,    336;    II,    318- 
320,  385. 

Criminal  Insane,  I,  350;  II,  321, 

379- 

Detention,  II,  318. 

Discharge,  I,  339;  H,  320. 

Epileptic,  II,  388. 

Feeble-Minded,  II,  386. 

Government  of   Institutions,   I, 
184,  185,  192;  II,  316. 

Institutional  Population,  I,  403. 

Investigation  of  Institutions,  I, 
197-198;  II,  309-310. 

Private  Patients,  II,  317,  321. 

Recommitment,  II,  320-321. 

State  Care,  I,  165 ;  II,  318. 
Indiana    Hospital    for    the    Insane. 
See  Central  Indiana  Hospital 
for  the  Insane,  II,  323. 
Indiana  Hospital  for  Insane  Crimi- 
nals, II,  321,  379. 

Commitment,  II,  321,  385. 

Discharge,  II,  385. 

Government,  II,  313-316. 


Indiana  Lunatic  Asylum.    See  Cen- 
tral Indiana  Hospital  for  the 
Insane,  II,  323. 
Indiana  School  for  Feeble-Minded 
Youth,  II,  386. 
Government,  II,  313-316. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  II,  388. 
Indiana  Village   for   Epileptics,  II, 
388. 
Government,  II,  313-316. 
Indians,    Insanity   Among   The,    at 
Asylum   for   Insane   Indians, 
S.  D.,  I,  386;  III,  630. 
Indians,  North  American,  Insanity 
Among  the,  I,  381 ;  IV,  3,  8, 
26-27,  220,  237-240. 
Appendix,  I,  393. 
Individual  Treatment,  I,  254. 
Inebriate   Asylum.     See   Rochester 
State  Hospital,  Minn.,  II,  854, 
Inebriates. 

Massachusetts,  II,  724,  746. 
Minnesota,  II,  862. 
Pennsylvania,  III,  395-396. 
Insane  Asylum.     See  State  Mental 

Hospital,  Utah,  III,  668. 
Insane  Asylum,  Alberta,  IV,  3. 
Insane  Asylum  of  California.     See 
Stockton  State  Hospital,  Cal., 

II,  30. 

Insane  Asylum  for  the  Colored 
People  of  the  State  of  Louis- 
iana. See  Louisiana  Hospital 
for  Insane,  II,  48b. 

Insanity  Among  Negroes,  Indians, 
Chinese  and  Japanese  in  the 
United  States,  Chapter  XI,  I, 

369. 
Institute  for  the  Feeble-Minded  at 

Enid,  Okla.,  HI,  2(>2,  368. 
Institution       for       Feeble-Minded, 

Ohio,  III,  299,  350. 
Superintendents     and    Officers, 

III,  351. 

Institution  for  Feeble-Minded  Chil- 
dren, ,Ky.,  II,  450,  471. 
Government,  II,  450. 


624 


INDEX 


Institutional  Care,  Evolution  of,  in 

the  U.  S.,  I,  139. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  399. 
Institutional  Population  by  States, 

I,  401-410. 

Institutional  Population  of  the  In- 
sane and  Feeble-Minded. 
Census  of  the  Insane.  Chap- 
ter XII,  I,  397. 

Inter  Pines,  N.  Y.,  Ill,  271. 

Introduction,  I,  5. 

Investigation  of  Public  Institutions, 
Methods  of,  I,  196. 

Ionia  State  Hospital,  Mich.,  II,  758, 
801. 
Government,  I,  186;  II,  763. 
Managers,  Trustees  and  Supts., 

II,  808-809. 

Iowa,  Care  of  Insane  in,  I,  182,  206; 
II,  391 ;  III,  10. 
Census,  I,  413,  418,  419. 
Colony  System,  I,  157,  159;  II, 

415,  420. 
Commitment,    I,    336;    II,    391- 

393. 
Criminal  Insane,  I,  350;  II,  391, 

423. 

Discharge,  I,  339. 

Feeble-Minded,  II,  424. 

Government   of  Institutions,  I, 
189,  190,  194,  19s ;  II,  391- 

Institutional  Population,  I,  403. 

Investigation  of  Institutions,  I, 
198;  II,  391,  393- 

Private    and     County     Institu- 
tions, II,  392,  393,  394. 

Voluntary     Commitments,     II, 
391,  393- 
Iowa  Institution  for  Feeble-Minded 
Children,  II,  391,  424. 

Government,  II,  391. 
Ives,  Robert  Hale,  IV,  429. 


Jacksonville  State  Hospital,  111.,  II, 
178,  186. 


Government,  II,  180. 

Trustees  and  Staff,  II,  200-202. 

Japanese  Insane  in  the  U.  S.,  I,  393. 

Japanese  Insane  in  British  Colum- 
bia, I,  480. 

Jarvis,  Dr.  Edward,  IV,  429. 

Jelly,  Dr.  George  Frederick,  IV, 
431. 

Johnson,  Dr.  A.,  Norfolk  State  Hos- 
pital, Neb.,   Ill,  II. 

Jones,  Dr.  L.  M.,  Georgia  State 
Sanitarium,  II,  161. 

Jones,  Dr.  M.  L.,  State  Hospital  for 
Epileptics,  Kans.,  II,  439.  See 
Perry,  Dr.  M.  L.,  IV,  606. 

Jones,  Dr.  William  A.,  Dr.  Harry 
Ashton    Tomlinson     (biog.), 

IV,  519. 

Jones,  Dr.  William  Palmer,  IV,  432. 
Josselyn,  Dr.  Eli  Edward,  IV,  433. 
Journal  of  Insanity,  The  American, 
1,75. 

K 

Kalamazoo  State  Hospital,  Mich.,  I, 
156-157,  160,  207,  212,  258;  II, 
757-758,  7(6. 
Government,  II,  763. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  II,  777-779- 
Kankakee    State    Hospital,    111.,    I, 
209-210,  258,  401 ;  II,  179,  222, 
263. 
Appendix  A,  Manufactures,  II, 

253. 
Appendix  B.,  II,  254. 
Appendix  C,  Political  Influence, 

11,255. 
Criminal  Insane,  II,  233. 
Government,  II,  180. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  II,  251-252. 
Kansas,  Care  of  Insane  in,  I,  206, 

II,  427. 
Census,  I,  418,  419. 
Colony  System,  I,  157,  159,  213. 
Commitment,    I,    335,    336;    II, 

429-430,  431. 
Criminal  Insane,  I,  350 ;  II,  447. 


INDEX 


625 


Discharge,  I,  339;  II,  430-43i- 
Epileptic,  II,  439. 
Feeble-Minded,  II,  448. 
Government   of   Institutions,   I, 

189,  191,  192;  II,  427-428. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  404. 
Investigation  of  Institutions,  I, 

198. 
State  Care,  II,  428-429. 
Kansas    Home    for    Feeble-Minded 
Youth.    See  State  Home  for 
Feeble-Minded,      Kans.,      II, 
449- 
Keene,  Dr.  George  F.,  IV,  604. 
Kellogg,  Dr.  Abner  Otis,  IV,  434. 
Kenilworth  Sanitarium,  111.,  II,  307. 
Kentucky,  Care  of  Insane  in,  I,  95, 
206;  II,  450. 
Census,  I,  412,  413,  418,  420. 
Commitment,  I,  335  ;  II,  453,  454- 
Criminal  Insane,  II,  453,  460. 
Discharge,  I,  340. 
Feeble-Minded,  II,  471. 
Government  of   Institutions,  I, 

191 ;  II,  450. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  404. 
Negro  Insane,  I,  379,   380;  II, 

459. 
Training  Schools,  II,  453,  464. 

Kerlin,  Dr.  Isaac  Newton,  IV,  434. 

Kilbourne,  Dr.  Edwin  Arius,  IV, 
437. 

King,  Dr.  Edwin  Warren,  IV,  438. 

King,  Dr.  J.  C,  Southwestern  State 
Hospital,  Va.,  Ill,  772. 

Kings  County  Lunatic  Asylum  at 
Flatbush  and  Kings  Park. 
See  Long  Island  State  Hospi- 
tal, N.  Y.,  Ill,  216-217. 

Kings  Park  State  Hospital,  N.  Y., 
Ill,  130,  217,  220. 
Government,  I,  187. 
Managers   and   Staff,   III,   225- 
226. 

Kingston  Asylum,  Ont.  (Rockwood 
Hospital),  I,  454;  IV,  147. 


Kirkbride,  Dr.   Thomas   Story,   IV, 

438. 
Klopp,  Dr.  Henry  I.,  Homeopathic 

State  Hospital,  Pa.,  Ill,  493. 
Knapp,  Dr.  Abram  H.,  IV,  441. 
Knickerbocker  Hall,  N.  Y.,  Ill,  272. 
Krauss,  Dr.  William  C,  IV,  441. 


Laboratories  of  McLean  Hospital, 
II,  618. 

Ladd,  Dr.  Joseph  H.,  Rhode  Island 
School  for  the  Feeble- 
Minded,  III,  571. 

Landor,  Dr.  Henry,  IV,  572. 

Langdon,  Dr.  Charles  H.,  IV,  443. 

Langdon,   Dr.   Oliver   Monroe,   IV, 

443. 
Langmuir,  John  Woodburn,  IV,  573. 
Earned    State   Hospital,   Kans.,    II, 

427,  447- 
Government,  II,  428. 
Laurel  Sanitarium,  Md.,  II,  579. 
Law  of  Insanity,  Growth  of  the,  I, 

321. 
Leininger,  Dr.  Geo.,  Chicago  State 

Hospital,  111.,  II,  280. 
Leonard,    Dr.    Thos.    H.,    Lincoln 

State  School  and  Colony,  II, 

298. 
Letchworth  Village,  N.  Y.,  Ill,  131, 

259- 
Government,  I,  187. 

Letchworth,  Hon.  William  Pryor, 
IV,  445- 

Lett,  Dr.  Stephen,  IV,  574. 

Lewis,  Dt.  John  A.,  Nevada  Hospi- 
tal for  Mental  Diseases,  III, 
19. 

L'Hospice  St.  Jean  de  Dieu.  See 
Longue  Pointe  Asylum,  Que- 
bec, IV,  274. 

L'Hospice  St.  Julien.  See  St.  Julien 
Asylum,  Quebec,  IV,  288. 

Lima  State  Hospital,   O.,  Ill,   298, 

299,  222- 
Government,  III,  299-300. 


626 


INDEX 


Lima  State  Hospital  for  the  Crimi- 
nal Insane.     See  Lima  State 
Hospital,  O.,  HI,  333. 
Lincoln   State  School   and  Colony, 
111.,  II,  179,  298. 
Government,  II,  180. 
Trustees  and  Officers,   II,  303- 

304- 
Livermore  Sanitarium,  Cal.,  II,  59. 
Lomax,  Dr.  Joseph  D.,  IV,  447. 
London  Asylum,  Ont,  I,  454;   IV, 

157- 
Long  Island  Home,  N.  Y.,  Ill,  272. 
Long  Island  State  Hospital,  Kings 

Park.    See  Kings  Park  State 

Hospital,  N.  Y.,  Ill,  130,  217, 

224. 
Long  Island  State  Hospital,  N.  Y., 

Ill,  130,  214. 
Government,  I,  187. 
Managers   and    Staff,    III,   218- 

219. 
Long,   Dr.   Oscar  Russell,   IV,  447. 
Longue  Pointe  Asylum  (L'Hospice 

St.   Jean   de   Dieu),    Quebec, 

I,  455,  IV,  274. 

Longview    Hospital,    O.,    Ill,    297, 
298-299,  336. 
Directors    and    Staff,    III,   349- 

350. 
Government,  III,  299. 
Louisiana,  Care  of  Insane  in,  I,  206; 

II,  473. 

Census,  I,  412,  413,  418,  420. 
Colony  System,  I,  157,  159. 
Commitment,    I,    335 ;    II,    473, 

474- 
Criminal  Insane,  I,  350;  II,  473, 

476. 
Discharge,  I,  340. 
Government  of    Institutions,   I, 

184,  185 ;  II,  473. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  404. 
Investigation  of  Institutions,  II, 

473- 
Negro  Insane,   I,  379;   II,  476, 

478. 


Louisiana   Hospital    for    Insane,    I, 
159,  379;  II,  473,  480. 
Government,  II,  473. 
Staff,  II,  483. 

Louisiana  Insane  x\sylum.  See 
East  Louisiana  Hospital  for 
the  Insane,  II,  475. 

Lunatic  Asylum.  See  Bloomingdale 
Hospital,  N.  Y.,  Ill,  135. 

Lunatic  Asylum,  S.  C,  I,  378. 

Lunatic  Asylum  West  of  the  Alle- 
gheny Mountains.  See  West 
Virginia  Hospital  for  the  In- 
sane, III,  705,  804-805. 

Lunatic  and  General  Asylum.  See 
Spring  Grove  State  Hospital, 
Md.,  I,  90. 

Lunatic  Hospital.  See  Eastern 
State  Hospital,  Va.,  Ill,  708. 

Lyall,  Peter,  IV,  575. 

Mc 
McClaughry,   Charles   C,   The  Re- 
formatory, la,,  II,  423. 
McDill,  Dr.  Alexander  S.,  IV,  448. 
McFarland,   Dr.   Andrew,   IV,   453. 
Mclnnes,  Dr.  Thomas  R.,  IV,  577. 
McLean    Asylum    for    the    Insane, 
The.     See  McLean  Hospital, 
Mass.,  II,  601. 
McLean  Hospital,  Mass.,  I,  82,  94, 
95,  141,  183,  204,  205,  231,  232- 
233,   234,   260,   290,   314,   315, 
316;  II,  584,  599- 
Government,  II,  612,  615. 
Laboratories,    I,    284;    II,    611, 

618. 
Staff,  II,  615-617. 
Training  School,  I,  289;  II,  609- 
610,  614. 
McNary,  Dr.  Hugh  F.,  IV,  453. 

M 
Macdonald,  Dr.  Alexander  E.,   IV, 

449- 
MacDonald,  Dr.  James,  IV,  450. 
Mackieson,  Dr.  John,  IV,  576. 


INDEX 


627 


Mad    House.      See    Eastern    State 

Hospital,  Va.,  IH,  711, 
Maine,  Care  of  Insane  in,  I,  206;  H, 

484. 
Census,  I,  412,  413,  418,  419. 
Colony  System,  H,  493-494,  509. 
Commitment,    I,   336;    II,   485- 

486. 
Criminal    Insane,    I,    350;    II, 

492-493. 
Discharge,  I,  340. 
Feeble-Minded,  II,  509. 
Government  of   Institutions,    I, 

184,  i8s ;  II,  485. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  404. 
State  Care,  II,  486. 
Maine    Insane    Asylum,     Augusta. 
See  Augusta  State  Hospital, 
Me.,  II,  485. 
Maine   Insane   Hospital.     See   Au- 
gusta State  Hospital,  Me.,  II, 
492. 
Maine   School    for   Feeble-Minded, 
II,  485,  509. 
Government,  II,  485. 
Maiden  Asylum.    See  London  Asy- 
lum, Ont.,  IV,  157- 
Manhattan  State  Hospital,  N.  Y.,  I, 
44;  III,  130,  201. 
Commissioners,   Managers   and 

Staff,  HI,  209-214. 
Government,   I,   187. 
Manhattan  State  Hospital  at  Cen- 
tral Islip.     See  Central  Islip 
State  Hospital,  N.  Y.,  Ill,  228. 
Manhattan     State    Hospital,    East. 
See  Manhattan  State  Hospi- 
tal, N.  Y.,  Ill,  207,  228. 
Manhattan    State    Hospital    West. 
See  Manhattan  State  Hospi- 
tal, N.  Y.,  Ill,  207,  228. 
Manitoba,   Care  of   Insane  in,   IV, 
26. 
Care  of  Insane  Previous  to  Es- 
tablishment of  Provincial  In- 
stitutions,  I,  453;   IV,  26-27. 
Commitment,  I,  427,  433. 


Establishment  of  Provincial  In- 
stitutions, I,  456;  IV,  27. 

Indian  Insane,  IV,  26-27. 
Manitoba  Penitentiary,  IV,  27. 
Marshall    Sanitarium,    N.    Y.,    Ill, 

274. 
Maryland,    Care    of    Insane    in,    I, 
179,  206,  314,  323,  348;  II,  SIC. 

Census,  I,  412,  413,  418,  419,  420. 

Colony  System,  II,  530,  543. 

Commitment,    I,    :^Z2,    335;    H, 
S17. 

County  Care,  II,  510. 

Discharge,  I,  340. 

Early  and  Colonial  Care,  I,  89- 
90;  II,  510-512. 

Feeble-Minded,  II,  573. 

Government  of   Institutions,   I, 
184,  185;  II,  516,  517. 

Institutional  Population,  I,  404. 

Investigation  of  Institutions,  I, 
198-199;  II,  516-517. 

Negro  Insane,  I,  Z77,  Z7^',  H. 
541. 

Private  Care,  I,  314,  317. 

State  Care,  I,   167;   II,  511,  et 
seq. 

Voluntary  Patients,  I,  344,  345, 
347;  II,  517- 
Maryland     Asylum    and     Training 
School     for     Feeble-Minded. 
See   Rosewood   State   Train- 
ing School,  Md.,  II,  573. 
Maryland   or    City    Hospital,    The. 
See  Spring  Grove  State  Hos- 
pital, Md.,  II,  530. 
Maryland      Hospital,      The.       See 
Spring  Grove  State  Hospital, 
Md.,  II,  530. 
Maryland  Hospital  for  the  Insane, 
The.       See     Spring     Grove 
State   Hospital,  Md.,  I,   140; 
II,  512-51S,  518. 
Maryland  Hospital  for  the  Insane  at 
Baltimore,  The.     See  Spring 
Grove    State    Hospital,    Md., 

n,  530. 


628 


INDEX 


Massachusetts,   Care  of  Insane  in, 

I,  94,  141,  165,  181,  206,  260, 
284,  285,  314,  321-323;  II,  582. 

Alien-Born  in  Relation  to  Cost 

of  State  Care,  I,  366-367. 
Census,  I,  411,  412,  413,  418,  419, 

420. 
Chronic  Insane,  I,  166;  II,  674, 

694,  710,  727,  738. 
Colony  System,  I,  157,  158;  II, 

660,  662,  702,  714-715,  717,  720- 

721,  734,  738,  746. 
Commitment,    I,    335,    336;    II, 

597- 
County   Care,   I,    145,    166;    II, 

583,  et  seq. 
Criminal  Insane,  I,  350;  II,  592, 

641,  695-698. 
Detention  Hospitals,  I,  263. 
Discharge,  I,  340. 
Early  and  Colonial  Care,  I,  81- 

82,  140;  II,  582-584. 
Epileptic,  II,  593,  733. 
Feeble-Minded,  II,  593,  748. 
Government  of  Institutions,   I, 

184,  185,  191 ;  II,  595-596. 
Inebriates  and  Drug  Habitues, 

n,  592,  593,  594,  722-723,  724, 

746. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  405. 
Investigation  of  Institutions,  I, 

199;  II,  593-595. 
State  Care,  I,  165,  166;  II,  595. 
Training    Schools,    I,    290;    II, 

609-610,    614,    660,    662,    671, 

682,  706,  722, 
Voluntary  Patients,  I,  344,  345; 

II,  598. 

Work  of  Dorothea  Dix,  I,  105- 
108,  113. 

Massachusetts  General  Hospital,  I, 
82,  141 ;  II,  599-600. 

Massachusetts  Hospital  for  Dipso- 
maniacs and  Inebriates.  See 
Foxborough  State  Hospital, 
Mass.,  II,  592. 


Massachusetts  Hospital  for  Epilep- 
tics. See  Monson  State  Hos- 
pital, Mass.,  II,  593. 

Massillon   State  Hospital,   Ohio,   I, 
158,    245-246,    285;    III,    298, 
299,  330. 
Government,  III,  299-300. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  III,  332. 

Matteawan  State  Hospital,  N.  Y.,  I, 
167,  349;  III,  130,  131,  241. 
Government,  I,  187;  III,  131. 
Staff,  III,  244-245. 

Matthew,  George,  IV,  576. 

Mayberry,  Dr.  Charles  B.,  Hospital 
for  the  Insane,  Pa.,  Ill,  531. 

Mayhew,  George  W.,  Asylum  for 
Chronic  Insane,  Wis.,  Ill,  858. 

Mead,  Dr.  L.  C,  South  Dakota  State 
Hospital,  III,  616. 

Medfield  Insane  Asylum.  See  Med- 
field  State  Hospital,  Mass., 
II,  728,  731. 

Medfield  State  Asylum.  See  Med- 
field State  Hospital,  Mass.,  II, 
73'^,  732. 

Medfield   State  Hospital,   Mass.,   I, 
158;  11,  593,  727. 
Government,   II,  595-596. 
Staff,  II,  732. 

Medical  Treatment  of  the  Insane,  I, 
230. 

Mellen,   Samuel  Fairbank,  IV,  454. 

Mendocino  State  Hospital,  Cal.,  II, 
24,  40. 
Government,  II,  24-25. 
Managers  and  Staff,  II,  50. 

Mendocino  State  Insane  Asylum. 
See  Mendocino  State  Hospi- 
tal, Cal.,  II,  40. 

Mercer  Sanitarium,  Pa.,  The,  III, 
541. 

Meredith,  Dr.  H.  B.,  State  Hospital 
for  the  Insane,  Pa.,  Ill,  461. 

Metcalf,  Dr.  W.  G.,  IV,  578. 

Methods  of  Care  in  Institutions, 
Chapter  IV,  I,  137. 


INDEX 


629 


Methods  of  Investigation  of  Public 

Institutions,  I,  196. 
Meyer,   Dr.    Adolf,   Henry    Phipps 

Psychiatric    Clinic,    Md.,    II, 

571. 
Michigan,  Care  of  Insane  in,  I,  141- 

142,  143,  206,  228-229,  259-260, 

263,  314;  II,  75S. 
Appendix  A,  II,  835. 
Census,  I,  412,  413,  418,  419. 
Chronic  Insane,  I,  212. 
Colony  System,  I,  156-157,  160- 

161,  212;  II,  ^^2-^^z,  774. 

Commitment,    I,    zzz,   335;    H, 

County  Care,  I,  145 ;  II,  755-756. 
Criminal  Insane,  I,  349;  II,  801. 
Detention  Hospitals,  I,  263. 
Discharge,  I,  340. 
Government  of   Institutions,   I, 

184,  185-186,  193 ;  n,  763. 

Institutional  Population,  I,  405. 
Investigation  of  Institutions,  I, 

199;  II,  ^(i^. 

Private   Care,   I,   314,   317;   II, 

759- 
State  Care,  I,  163;  II,  758. 
Training  Schools,  II,  760,  783, 

797,  813. 
Voluntary  Patients,  I,  344,  345, 
347;  II,  765- 

Michigan  Asylum  for  the  Danger- 
ous and  Criminal  Insane. 
See  Ionia  State  Hospital, 
Mich.,  II,  807. 

Michigan  Asylum  for  the  Insane. 
See  Kalamazoo  State  Hospi- 
tal, Mich.,  Ill,  771. 

Michigan  Asylum  for  Insane  Crimi- 
nals. See  Ionia  State  Hospi- 
tal, Mich.,  II,  758. 

Michigan  Home  and  Training 
School,  II,  759;  IV,  601. 

Middletown      State      Homeopathic 
Hospital,  N.  Y.,  I,  167;  III, 
117-118,  130,  170. 
Government,  I,  187. 


Managers   and   Staff,   III,   177- 
178. 
Milligan,  Dr.  J.  W.,  Indiana  Hospi- 
tal for  Insane  Criminals,  II, 

379- 
Mills,  Dr.  Charles  K.,  Philadelphia 
Hospital  for  the  Insane,  III, 
516. 
Milwaukee  County  Insane  Asylum, 
The.    See  Milwaukee  Hospi- 
tal for  Insane,  Wis.,  Ill,  851. 
Milwaukee     Hospital     for    Insane, 
Wis.,  I,  169;  111,825,835,851. 
Staff,  III,  858. 
Milwaukee    Insane    Asylum.      See 
Milwaukee   Hospital   for   In- 
sane, Wis.,  Ill,  851. 
Milwaukee    Sanitarium,    Wis.,    Ill, 

860. 
Mimico  Asylum,  Ont.,   I,  454;   IV, 

i6g. 
Minnesota,  Care  of  Insane  in,  I,  143, 
182,  206;  II,  838. 
Alien-Born  in  Relation  to  Cost 

of  State  Care,  I,  367. 
Census,  I,  418,  419. 
Colony  System,  I,  157,  158;  II, 

866. 
Commitment,  I,  336 ;  II,  844-847. 
Criminal  Insane,  I,  350;  II,  851. 
Detention  Hospitals,  I,  263;  II, 

843-844,  851. 

Discharge,  I,  341. 

Feeble-Minded    and    Epileptic, 
II,  838,  863. 

Government  of   Institutions,   I, 
189,  191,  194;  II,  838-839. 

Inebriates,  II,  838,  862. 

Institutional  Population,  I,  405. 

Training  School,  II,  859. 

Voluntary  Patients,  I,  344,  345; 
II,  846-847. 
Minnesota      School      for      Feeble- 
Minded      and      Colony      for 
Epileptics,  II,  838,  863. 

Government,  II,  838-841. 

Staff,  II,  867. 


630 


INDEX 


Mississippi,   Care   of   Insane  in,   I, 
206;  II,  868. 
Census,  I,  413,  418,  419. 
Commitment,  I,  335 ;  II,  869. 
Criminal  Insane,  II,  873. 
Discharge,  I,  340. 
Government  of   Institutions,  I, 

184,  186;  11,869. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  406. 
Negro  Insane,  I,  379;  II,  872. 
Work  of  Miss  Dix,  II,  868. 
Missouri,  Care  of  Insane  in,  I,  206; 
II,  876. 
Census,  I,  412,  413,  418,  419. 
Commitment,  I,  33s ;  II,  877. 
Discharge,  I,  341. 
Feeble-Minded     and     Epileptic, 

II,  888. 
Government  of   Institutions,   I, 

184,  186,  192 ;  II,  876. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  406. 
Investigation  of  Institutions,  I, 

199;  II,  876. 
Training  Schools,  II,  880,  884. 
Missouri  Colony  for  Feeble-Minded 

and  Epileptic,  II,  876,  888. 
Mitchell,  Dr.  S.  Weir,  IV,  454- 
Mitchell,  Dr.  Thomas  J.,  IV,  456. 
Mohansic  State  Hospital,  N.  Y.,  Ill, 
130,  236. 
Government,  I,  187. 
Managers   and   Staff,   III,  239- 
240. 
Moher,  Dr.  Thomas  J.,  IV,  579- 
Moncure,   Dr.   James   Dunlop,    IV, 

457. 
Monroe      County     Asylum.       See 
Rochester      State      Hospital, 
N.  Y.,  Ill,  199. 
Monson    State   Hospital,    Mass.,   I, 
158;  II,  591,  593,  598,  733- 
Government,  II,  595-596. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  II,  72>^-72>7- 
Montana,  Care  of  Insane  in,  III,  3. 
Census,  I,  418,  420. 
Commitment,  III,  3. 
Discharge,  I,  341. 


Government  of  Institutions,  I, 

189. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  406. 
Montana  State  Hospital  for  the  In- 
sane, III,  3,  4. 
Staff,  III,  7- 
Moore's  Brook  Sanitarium,  Va.,  Ill, 

781. 
Morin,  Dr.  Alfred,  IV,  580. 
Morningside    Hospital,    Ore.,    Ill, 

871,  872 ;  IV,  602. 
Morrin,  Dr.  Joseph,  IV,  580. 
Moseley,  Dr.  William  B.,  IV,  458. 
Moulton,  Dr.  A.  R.,  Legislation  of 
Pennsylvania  in  Reference  to 
the  Insane,  III,  391. 
Moulton,  Dr.  Albert  Roscoe  (biog.), 

IV,  458. 
Mt.  Herbert,  Md.,  II,  578. 
Mt.  Hope  Retreat,  Md.,  I,  317;  II, 
516,  550;  IV,  278. 
Officers  and  Staff,  II,  557. 
Mt.  Pleasant  State  Hospital,  la.,  II, 
391,  395. 
Government,  II,  391. 
Staff,  II,  403. 
Mt.  Vernon  Hospital,  Ala.,  I,  212, 

379;  11,  3,  4,  9. 
Government,  II,  3,  4. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  II,  8-9. 
Munson,  Dr.  J.  D.,  Traverse  City 
State  Hospital,  Mich.,  II,  789. 
Murdoch,  Dr.  J.  M.,  State  Institu- 
tion   for    Feeble-Minded    of 
Western     Pennsylvania,     III, 

Sii. 
Murphy,  Dr.  John  Bernard,  IV,  581. 
Murphy,  Dr.  Patrick  Livingston,  IV, 

460. 

N 

Napa  State  Hospital,  Cal.,  II,  24,  33. 

Government,  II,  24,  25. 

Managers  and  Staff,  II,  35. 
Nebraska,  Care  of  Insane  in,  I,  206; 
III,  8. 

Census,  I,  418,  419. 


INDEX 


631 


Commitment,  I,  336;  III,  8-9. 
Discharge,  I,  341 ;  III,  8. 
Government  of   Institutions,   I, 

184,  186,  189;  III,  8. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  406. 
Investigation  of  Institutions,  I, 

200. 
Nebraska    Institution    for    Feeble- 

Minded,  III,  8. 
Nebraska  State  Hospital,  III,  8,  13. 
Government,  I,   186;   III,  8. 
Staff  and  Trustees,  III,  15-16. 
Neff,  Dr.  I.  H.,  Foxborough  State 

Hospital,  Mass.,  II,  724. 
Negroes,   Insanity   Among  The,   I, 

371. 
Alabama,   I,  212,  2>7T,  379',   H, 

4,  9. 
Delaware,  I,  380. 
Florida,  I,  379,  380;  II,  156. 
Georgia,  I,  378-379;  II,  163,  164, 

i6s. 
Kentucky,  I,  372,  379,  380;  II, 

459- 
Louisiana,  I,  379;  II,  473,  476. 
'    Maryland,  I,  377,  378;   II,  541. 
Mississippi,  I,  379;  II,  872. 
North  Carolina,  I,  377,  378;  III, 

285. 
South    Carolina,    I,    372,    378; 

III,  602-603,  606-607. 
Tennessee,  I,  379,  380;  III,  639, 

645. 
Virginia,    I,    371-372,    373,    377- 

378,  380;  III,  704,  705,  727-728^ 

733- 
West  Virginia,  I,  379,  380;  III, 

806,  810. 
Nellis,  Dr.  Alexander,  Jr.,  IV,  461. 
Nevada,  Care  of  Insane  in.  III,  17. 
Census,  I,  418,  420. 
Commitment,  I,  336;  III,  17. 
Criminal  Insane,  III,  18. 
Discharge,  I,  341. 
Government  of   Institutions,  I, 

190;  III,  17. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  406. 


Nevada  Hospital   for   Mental  Dis- 
eases, III,  17,  19. 
Commissioners  and  Superinten- 
dents, III,  21. 
Government,  I,  190;  III,  17. 

Nevin,  Dr.  Ethan  A.,  New  York 
State  Custodial  Asylum  for 
Feeble-Minded  Women,  III, 
250. 

New  Brunswick,  Care  of  Insane  in, 

IV,  37. 

Care  of  Insane  Previous  to  Es- 
tablishment of  Provincial  In- 
stitutions, I,  451 ;  IV,  37. 

Colony  System,  I,  157. 

Commitment,  I,  427,  436;  IV, 
61. 

Establishment  of  Provincial  In- 
stitutions, I,  454;  IV,  37. 
New  Castle  Asylum,  Del.,  The  In- 
Scme  Department.  See  Dela- 
ware State  Hospital  at  Farn- 
hurst,  II,  134. 
New  Hampshire,  Care  of  Insane  in, 
I,  93,  94-95,  140,  141,  ^67,  314, 
321,  323 ;  III,  22. 

Census,  I,  411,  412,  413,  418,  419^ 
420. 

Colony  System,  III,  35,  40. 

Commitment,  I,  336;  III,  27,  28. 

County  Care,  III,  26-27. 

Criminal  Insane,  I,  350;  III,  27. 

Discharge,  I,  341- 

Early  and  Colonial  Care,  I,  85, 
140;  III,  22-25. 

Feeble-Minded,  III,  45. 

Government  of  Institutions,  I, 
184,  186,  191 ;  III,  28. 

Institutional  Population,  I,  406. 

State  Care,  I,  167 ;  III,  26-27. 

Training  School,  III,  41. 
New  Hampshire  Asylum  for  the  In- 
sane.    See   New    Hampshire 
State  Hospital,  I,  85 ;  III,  25- 
26,  31,  32,  41. 


632 


INDEX 


New  Hampshire  School  for  Feeble- 
Minded,  III,  26,  45. 

Government,  III,  28. 
New  Hampshire  State  Hospital,  I, 
8s,  95,  141,  204,  314;  III,  25- 
26,  30. 

Government,  III,  28. 

Trustees  and  Staff,  III,  43-44. 
New  Jersey,  Care  of  Insane  In,  I, 
206,  285,  314;  III,  48. 

Census,  I,  412,  413,  418,  419,  420. 

Commitment,  I,  336;  III,  55-57- 

County  Care,   I,   142,   144,   168; 
ni,  54,  55- 

Criminal  Insane,  I,  350;  III,  82. 

Discharge,  I,  341. 

Early  and  Colonial  Care,  I,  87- 
88;  III,  48-50. 

Epileptic,  III,  96. 

Government  of    Institutions,   I, 
184,  186;  III,  55- 

Institutional  Population,  I,  407. 

Investigation  of  Institutions,  I, 
200;  III,  55. 

Training  Schools,  III,  71,  77,  81, 
90. 

Voluntary  Patients,  I,  344,  345- 
346. 

Work  of  Dorothea  Dix,  I,  109- 
113;  III,  53,  59-62,  76. 
New  Jersey  State  Hospital  at  Mor- 
ris Plains,  The,  III,  54,  86. 

Commissioners,     Trustees     and 
Staff,  III,  93-95- 

Government,  III,  55,  90. 
New  Jersey  State  Hospital  at  Tren- 
ton, I,  87-88,  113;  III,  53-54, 
58,  87. 

Government,  III,  55,  68,  69. 

Trustees  and  Staff,  III,  84-85. 
New  Jersey  State  Lunatic  Asylum, 
The.  See  New  Jersey  State 
Hospital  at  Trenton,  I,  87-88; 
HI,  54,  68. 
New  Jersey  State  Village  for  Epi- 
leptics, The,  III,  54,  96. 


Government,  III,  55. 

Managers  and  Staff,  III,  97-98. 

New   Jersey   Training    School    for 

Feeble-Minded     Children     at 

Vineland,  III,  96. 

New  Mexico,  Care  of  Insane  in,  III, 

107. 

Census,  I,  418,  420. 

Commitment,  I,  336;  III,  107. 

Discharge,  I,  341. 

Government  of  Institutions,  I, 
184,  187. 

Institutional  Population,  I,  407. 
New  Mexico  Insane  Asylum,  The, 
III,  107,  108. 

Trustees  and  Staff,  III,  109. 
New  Milwaukee  Sanitarium  Asso- 
ciation, The.  See  Milwaukee 
Sanitarium,  Wis.,  Ill,  860. 
New  York,  Care  of  Insane  in,  I,  94, 
95-96,  139,  140,  141,  142,  143, 
163,  179,  181-182,  206,  229,  249, 
285,  323,  399;  III,  no. 

Alien-Born  in  Relation  to  Cost 
of  State  Care,  I,  362-365,  366. 

Census,  I,  411,  412,  413,  418,  419, 
420. 

Chronic  Insane,  I,  147-150. 

Colony  System,  I,  157,  158-159, 
213;  III,  157,  161,  166,  188, 
190-191,  196,  200,  218,  227, 
228,  238. 

Commitment,  I,  332,  333,  336; 
III,  131-132,  242. 

County    Care,    I,    145,    147-149; 

111,  114-117,  120-121. 
Criminal  Insane,  I,  348,  349;  III, 

112,  114,  130,  241,  245. 
Detention  Hospitals,  I,  262-263. 
Discharge,  I,  341. 

Early  and  Colonial  Care,  I,  86- 

87;  III,  110-114. 
Epileptic,  III,  251,  259. 
Feeble-Minded,    III,    248,    250, 

258,  259. 


INDEX 


633 


Government  of  Institutions,  I, 
184,  187,  188-189,  191;  III, 
121,  et  seq. 

Institutional  Population,  I,  467. 

Investigation  of  Institutions,  I, 
200. 

Private  Care,  I,  313,  314,  316, 

317- 
State  Care,  I,  163-167;  III,  117- 

118,  121. 
Training   Schools,   I,  297,  301 ; 
III,  128,  149,  167,  172,  184,  190, 
192,  195,  196,  256,  258. 
Voluntary  Patients,  I,  344,  346; 
III.  127. 

New  York  City  Asylum  for  the  In- 
sane. See  Manhattan  State 
Hospital,  N.  Y.,  Ill,  207. 

New  York  Hospital.  See  Bloom- 
ingdale  Hospital,  N.  Y.,  I,  86, 
94,  95,  140,  313,  326,  327,  332 ; 
III,  111-112,  113. 

New  York  State  Custodial  Asylum 
for    Feeble-Minded    Women, 

III,  131,  250. 
Government,  I,  187. 
Managers  and  Officers,  III,  251. 

New  York  State  Inebriate  Asylum. 
See  Binghamton  State  Hospi- 
tal, N.  Y.,  Ill,  120,  187. 
New  York   State  Lunatic  Asylum. 
See    Utica    State    Hospital, 
N.  Y.,  I,  242,  24s ;  III,  152. 
New  York  State  Pathological  Insti- 
tute, I,  260,  283-284. 
Newberry  State  Hospital,  Mich.,  II, 
759,  813. 
Government,  II,  763. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  II,  814. 
Newfoundland,  Care  of  Insane  in, 

IV,  332. 
Commitment,  I,  445. 
Dix,  Dorothea,  I,  482. 
Establishment  of  Institutions,  I, 

482. 
Newton  Nervine,  Mass.,  The,  II,  753. 


Newton  Sanitarium,  Mass.,  The,  II, 

753- 
Nichols,  Dr.  Charles  H.,  IV,  462. 
Nichols,  Dr.  J.  H.,  State  Infirmary, 

Mass.,  II,  674. 
Noble,  Dr.  A.  I.,  Kalamazoo  State 

Hospital,  Mich.,  II,  766. 
Noble,  Dr.  Alfred  Ira  (biog.),  IV, 

463. 
Noble,   Dr.   Henry   S.,   Connecticut 
Hospital   for  the  Insane,   II, 
103. 
Noble,  Dr.  Henry  Smith  (biog.),  IV, 

464. 
Non-Medical  Treatment  of  the  In- 
sane, I,  234. 
Norfolk  State  Hospital,  Mass.,  II, 
593,  594,  746. 
Government,  II,  595-596. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  II,  747. 
Norfolk  State  Hospital,  Neb.,  Ill, 
8,  II. 
Government,  III,  8. 
Staff,  III,  13. 
North  Carolina,  Care  of  Insane  in, 
I,  91,  206;  III,  280. 
Census,  I,  412,  413,  418,  419,  420. 
Commitment,   I,  332,  336;   III, 

281. 
Criminal  Insane,  I,  350;  III,  287. 
Discharge,  I,  341. 
Government  of   Institutions,   I, 

184,  187 ;  III,  280. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  407. 
Investigation  of  Institutions,  I, 

200;  III,  280. 
Negro  Insane,  I,  377;  III,  285. 
Training  School,  III,  283. 
Voluntary  Patients,  I,  344;  III, 

281. 
Work  of  Dorothea  Dix,  I,  115. 
North    Carolina    Hospital    for    the 
Dangerous   Insane,  The,  III, 
280,  287. 
North  Dakota,   Care  of  Insane  in, 
III,  290. 
Census,  I,  418,  419. 


634 


INDEX 


Commitment,   I,  336;   III,  290- 

291. 
Criminal  Insane,  III,  293. 
Discharge,  I,  342. 
Feeble-Minded,  III,  294. 
Government   of    Institutions,   I, 

184,  187;  III,  290. 
Institutional  Population  I,  408. 
North      Dakota      Institution      for 
Feeble-Minded,  III,  290,  294. 
Staff,  III,  295. 
North  Texas  Hospital  for  the  In- 
sane, III,  648,  658. 
Government,  III,  648. 
Managers   and    Staff,   III,   659- 
660. 
North  Texas  Lunatic  Asylum.    See 
North  Texas  Hospital  for  the 
Insane,  III,  658. 
Northampton  Insane  Hospital.    See 
Northampton  State  Hospital, 
Mass.,  II,  672. 
Northampton  Lunatic  Hospital,  The. 
See  Northampton  State  Hos- 
pital, Mass.,  II,  672. 
Northampton  State  Hospital,  Mass., 
II,  591,  664. 
Government,  II,  595-596- 
Staff,  II,  673. 
Northern  Hospital  for  Insane,  Ind., 
II,  310,  340-344.  349- 
Appendix  A,  II,  363. 
Government,   II,   311-  2>'^^,  3I3- 

316. 
Trustees  and   Staff,   II,  349,  et 
seq. 
Northern  Hospital  for  the  Insane, 
Wash.,  Ill,  789,  791.  799- 
Government,  III,  790. 
Staff,  III,  800. 
Northern  Hospital  for  the  Insane, 
Wis.,  The,  III,  825,  845. 
Government,  III,  837. 
Superintendents,  III,  847. 
Northern  Idaho  Sanitarium,  II,  170, 

174- 
Government,  II,  170. 


Northern  Illinois  Hospital  and  Asy- 
lum for  the  Insane.  See  El- 
gin State  Hospital,  III.,  II, 
178,  203. 

Northern  Michigan  Asylum.  See 
Traverse  City  State  Hospital, 
Mich.,  II,  758. 

Northern    Ohio    Lunatic    Asylum. 
See  Cleveland  State  Hospital, 
Ohio,  III,  298. 
Northwest  Territories,  Care  of  In- 
sane in,  I,  453,  457;  IV,  228. 

Royal  Northwest  Mounted  Po- 
lice, IV,  228. 
Norwich  State  Hospital  for  the  In- 
sane, Conn.,  II,  72,  116. 

Farm  for  Inebriates,  II,  125-126. 

Government,  II,  595-596. 

Trustees  and  Staff,  II,  126-127. 
Nova  Scotia,  Care  of  Insane  in,  IV, 
102. 

Appendix,  Memorial  to  Legisla- 
tive Assembly  of  Province  of 
Nova  Scotia  and  its  De- 
pendencies by  Dorothea  L. 
Dix,  I,  482. 

Appendix  B,  IV,  119. 

Care  of  Insane  Previous  to  Es- 
tablishment of  Provincial  In- 
stitutions, I,  452;  IV,  102. 

Commitment,  I,  427,  437;  IV, 
118. 

Establishment  of  Provincial  In- 
stitutions, I,  456;  IV,  102,  et 
seq. 

Training  School,  IV,  116. 

Work  of  Dorothea  Dix,  I,  481 ; 
IV,  108. 
Nova  Scotia  Hospital,  IV,  102. 
Noyes,  Dr.  William,  IV,  465. 

o 

Oahu  Insane  Asylum,  Honolulu,  III, 

873. 
Oak  Grove  Hospital,  Mich.,  II,  831. 

Staff,  II,  834- 


INDEX 


635 


Oak  Leigh  Educational  Sanitarium, 

Wis.,  Ill,  862. 
Oconomowoc  Health  Resort,  Wis., 

The,  III,  864. 
Ohio,  Care  of  Insane  in,  I,  206,  229, 
285 ;  III,  296. 
Appendix  A.     Congregate  Din- 
ing Rooms  in  Ohio,  III,  359. 
Census,  I,  412,  413,  418,  419. 
Colony  System,  I,  157,  158;  III, 

313,  350-351- 
Commitmient,  I,  336 ;  III,  302. 
County  Care,  I,  145;  III,  298- 

299. 
Criminal    Insane,    I,    350;    III, 

308,  333. 
Discharge,  I,  342. 
Epileptic,  III,  352. 
Fceble-Minded,  III,  350. 
Government  of  Institutions,  I, 

189,   191,   192,   194;   III,  299- 

301. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  408. 
Investigation  of  Institutions,  I, 

201 ;  III,  301. 
State  Care,  I,  165. 
Training  Schools,  III,  305,  316, 

331- 
Voluntary  Patients,  I,  344,  346. 
Ohio  Hospital  for  Epileptics,  The, 

III,  299,  352. 
Government,  III,  299-300. 
Officers,  III,  357. 
Ohio  Lunatic  Asylum.    See  Colum- 
bus State  Hospital,  Ohio,  III, 

298. 
Oklahoma,  Care  of  Insane  in.  III, 

362. 
Census,  I,  418,  420. 
Commitment,   I,  336;   III,  362- 

363. 
Discharge,  I,  342. 
Feeble-Minded,  III,  368. 
Government  of   Institutions,   I, 

184,  187 ;  III,  362. 
Indian  Insane,  I,  383-384. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  408. 


Investigation  of  Institutions, 
HI,  362. 

Training  School,  III,  365. 
Oklahoma  Hospital  for  the  Insane, 

Supply,  III,  362,  2)'^. 
Oklahoma  Hospital  for  the  Insane, 
Vinita,  III,  362,  367. 

Staflf,  III,  367. 
Oklahoma     Sanitarium     Company. 
See  Oklahoma  State  Hospital, 
Norman,  III,  362,  364. 
Oklahoma  State  Hospital,  III,  362, 
364. 

Government,  III,  362. 

Staff,  HI,  365. 
Olmstead,  Dr.  James,  IV,  466. 
Ontario,  Care  of  Insane  in,  I,  154; 
IV,  120. 

Care  of  Insane  Previous  to  Es- 
tablishment of  Provincial  In- 
stitutions, I,  451-452;  IV,  120. 

Colony  System,  I,  157;  IV,  170- 
171,  176. 

Commitment,  I,  438. 

Criminal  Insane,  IV,  147,  et  seq., 
166. 

Epileptic,  IV,  193. 

Establishment  of  Provincial  In- 
stitutions, I,  454;  IV,  120,  et 
seq. 

Feeble-Minded,  IV,  158,  159, 
188. 

Investigation  of  Institutions,  I, 
203. 

Training  Schools,  IV,  162,  173, 
177. 
Ordronaux,  Dr.  John,  IV,  467. 
Oregon,  Care  of  Insane  in,  II,  170; 
III,  369,  871. 

Census,  I,  418,  420. 

Colony  System,  I,  157,  158;  II, 
374- 

Commitment,    I,   S3^>    HI,   372. 

Discharge,  I,  342. 

Feeble-Minded,  III,  380. 


67,6 


INDEX 


Government  of   Institutions,   I, 

190. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  408. 
Oregon  State  Hospital,  I,  158;  III, 
370,  2,72,  373- 
Government,  III,  371. 
Staff,  III,  378. 
Organized    Activities    of    Alienists, 

The,  Chapter  I,  I,  3. 
Orillia  Asylum,  Ont,  I,  154,  454,  455 ; 

IV,  187. 
Osawatomie  State  Hospital,  Kans., 
II,  427,  429,  432. 
Government,  II,  427-428. 
Staff,  II,  433- 
Ostrander,     Dr.     Herman,     Colony 
System,  I,  156. 


Page,  Dr.  C.  W.,  Dorothea  Lynde 

Dix  and  Her  Work,  I,  loi. 
Palmer,  Dr.  George  Culver,  IV,  469. 
Park,  Dr.  George  Hamilton,  IV,  581. 
Park,  Dr.  John  G.,  IV,  470. 
Parsons,  Dr.  Ralph  L.,  Manhattan 

State    Hospital,    N.    Y.,    Ill, 

201. 
Parsons,  Dr.  Ralph  Lyman  (biog.), 

IV,  471. 
Parsons  State  Hospital.    See  State 

Hospital  for  Epileptics,  Kans., 

n,  439- 
Passaic     County     Insane     Asylum, 

N.  J.,  Ill,  54- 
Patapsco   Manor    Sanitarium,    Md., 

II,  580. 

Pellagra  in  Institutions  for  the  In- 
sane, II,  7,  ID,  272,  454,  482; 

III,  611-613. 
Penetanguishene    Asylum,    Ont.,    I, 

455;  IV,  181. 
Pennsylvania,  Care  of  Insane  in,  I, 

93,  94.  139,  140,  142,  181,  183, 

28s,  313-314,399;  III,  381. 
Census,  I,  412,  413,  418,  419,  420. 
Colony  System,  I,  157;  III,  418- 

419,  447-448,  486,  522,  523. 


Commitment,    I,   336;   III,  387, 

390-391,  392-395- 
County  Care,  I,   142,   168;   III, 

386,  387,  397. 
Criminal  Insane,  I,  351 ;  III,  431, 

500. 
Detention  Hospitals,  I,  263-264. 
Discharge,  I,  342. 
Early  and  Colonial  Care,  I,  88- 

89;  HI,  381-384. 
Epileptic,  III,  513,  S15. 
Feeble-Minded,    III,    504,    511, 

515- 
Government  of   Institutions,   I, 

184,  1S7 ;  III,  389-390. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  408. 
Investigation  of  Institutions,  I, 

201. 
Legislation  in,  III,  391-397. 
Training  Schools,  III,  420,  451, 

466,  475,  482,  497. 
Voluntary  Patients,  I,  344,  346; 

III,  390,  396-397. 
Pennsylvania  Epileptic  Hospital  and 

Colony  Farm,  III,  513. 
Officers,  III,  514. 
Pennsylvania  Hospital  for  the  In- 
sane, I,  88,  93,  94,  95,  139,  140, 

183,  205-206,  207,  221,  313-314, 

316,  399;  III,  381-383,  391-392, 

400. 
Appendix  A,  Charter,  III,  424. 
Government,  III,  389-390. 
Managers   and   Staff,   III,  420- 

423. 

Pennsylvania  State  Lunatic  Hospi- 
tal and  Union  Asylum  for  the 
Insane,  III,  427. 

Pennsylvania  Training  School  for 
Feeble-Minded  Children,  III, 

504- 
Staff,  III,  510. 
Peoria  State  Hospital,  111.,  II,   179, 
263. 
Government,  II,  180. 
Officers,  II,  273. 
Perry,  Alfred,  IV,  582. 


INDEX 


637 


Perry,  Dr.  M.  L.,  Hospital  for  Epi- 
leptics, Kans.,  II,  439.  See 
IV,  606. 

Peters,  Dr.  George  P.,  IV,  584. 

Philadelphia   Hospital    for   the    In- 
sane, I,  140,  144,  261;  III,  516. 
Psychopathic  Wards,  III,  523. 
Staff,  III,  523. 

Philippine  Islands,  Care  of  Insane 
in,  III,  876. 

Phipps  Psychiatric  Clinic,  Henry,  I, 
260;  II,  571. 

Pollock,  Dr.  H.  M.,  Norwich  State 
Hospital  for  the  Insane,  II, 
116. 

Pontiac    State    Hospital,    Mich.,    I, 
258;  II,  758,  780. 
Government,  II,  763. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  II,  787-788. 

Porto  Rico,  Care  of  Insane  in.  III, 
878. 

Powell,  Dr.  George  F.,  North  Texas 
Hospital  for  the  Insane,  III, 
658. 

Powell,  Dr.  T.  O.,  IV,  472. 

Pratt,  Enoch,  IV,  472. 

Pratt,  Dr.  Foster,  IV,  474. 

Preston,  Dr.  John,  State  Lunatic 
Asylum,  Tex.,  Ill,  650. 

Preston,  Dr.  Robert  J.,  IV,  475. 

Priddy,  Dr.  A.  S.,  Virginia  State 
Epileptic  Colony,  III,  777. 

Prince  Edward  Island,  Care  of  In- 
sane in,  IV,  203. 
Care  of  Insane  Previous  to  Es- 
tablishment of  Provincial  In- 
stitutions, I,  452 ;  IV,  203. 
Commitment,  I,  444. 
Establishment  of  Provincial  In- 
stitutions, I,  456 ;  IV,  208. 
Training  School,  IV,  217. 

Prince  Edward  Island  Hospital  for 
the  Insane.  See  Falconwood 
Hospital,  P.  E.  I.,  IV,  214,  218. 

Prison  North.  See  Indiana  Hospi- 
tal for  Insane  Criminals,  II, 
379,  et  seq. 


Prison  South.  See  Indiana  Hospital 
for  Insane  Criminals,  II,  379, 
et  seq. 

Private  Care  of  the  Insane,  Chapter 
VIII,  I,  311,  313. 

Private  Home  for  the  Feeble- 
Minded,  111.,  II,  308. 

Propositions,  The,  I,  206,  207,  208, 
217,  400-401. 

Prosch,  Thomas  W.,  Care  of  the  In- 
sane in  Washington,  III,  786. 

Protestant  Hospital  for  the  Insane 
(Verdun  Hospital),  Montreal, 
I,  456 ;  IV,  293. 

Providence  Retreat,  N.  Y.,  I,  317; 
in,  275. 

Provincial  and  City  Poors'  Asylum, 
N.  S.,  IV,  102. 

Provincial  Hospital,  N.  B.,  IV,  37. 
Appendix  A,  IV,  63. 
Appendix  B,  IV,  92. 
Appendix  C,  IV,  loi. 

Provincial    Institutions,    Establish- 
ment of,  I,  454. 
Government  and  Inspection  of, 
I,  458. 

Provincial  Lunatic  Asylum.  See 
Provincial  Hospital,  N.  B.,  IV, 
40. 

Provincial  Lunatic  Asylum,  The. 
See  Toronto  Asylum,  Ont, 
IV,  137. 

Provincial  Lunatic  Asylum.  See  St. 
Johns  Asylum,  Quebec,  IV, 
271. 

Pruyn,  Hon.  John  V.  L.,  IV,  476. 

Psychiatric  Institute,  Ward's  Island, 
N.  Y.,  Ill,  128. 

Psychopathic  Department  of  the 
New  York  Hospital  at  Bloom- 
ingdale,  The.  See  Blooming- 
dale  Hospital,  N.  Y.,  Ill,  146. 

Psychopathic    Hospital,    Origin    of 
The,  in  the  United  States,  I, 
258. 
Detention  Hospitals,  I,  261. 


49 


638 


INDEX 


Psychopathic  Hospitals. 
Alabama,  II,  7. 
California,  I,  261. 
District    ot    Columbia,    I,    261, 

265;  II,  148. 
Illinois,   II,    180,  212,  215,  242- 

243,  259. 
Iowa,  II,  402,  420. 
Maryland,  I,  260;  II,  530,  537- 

539- 
Massachusetts,  I,  260,  276;   II, 

653- 
Michigan,    I,   259-260,   266;    II, 

815. 
New  Hampshire,  III,  41. 
New  Jersey,  III,  82. 
New  York,  I,  259,  261,  263 ;  III, 

146,  261. 
Pennsylvania,    I,    261,    264-265 ; 

III,  437,  523,  536. 
Rhode  Island,  I,  260;  III,  570. 
Texas,  III,  661. 
Virginia,  III,  764. 
Wisconsin,  III,  857,  861. 
Public  Hospital,  The.     See  Spring 

Grove    State    Hospital,    Md., 

II,  530. 

Public  Hospital  for  the  Insane, 
B.  C,  I,  159;  IV,  8. 

Public  Hospital  for  Persons  of  In- 
sane and  Disordered  Mind, 
The.  See  Eastern  State  Hos- 
pital, Va.,  I,  90;  III,  703. 

Puget    Sound    Sanatorium,    Wash., 

III,  802. 

Pusey,  Dr.  Henry  K.,  IV,  478. 

Q 

Quebec,  Care  of  Insane  in,  I,  446- 
451 ;  IV,  237. 

Care  of  the  Insane  Previous  to 
Establishment  of  Institutions, 
I,  446-451 ;  IV,  237-249. 

Census,  I,  478,  479. 

Commitment,  I,  427,  441. 

System  of  Care,  I,  458,  467-471- 

Training  Schools,  IV,  286,  321. 


Quebec  General  Hospital,  IV,  247. 
Quebec  Lunatic  Asylum,  The.    See 

Beauport  Asylum,  P.  Q.,  IV, 

256. 

R 
Raleigh  Insane  Asylum.    See  State 

Hospital,  N.  C,  I,  115. 
Ranney,  Dr.  Mark,  IV,  479. 
Ray,  Dr.  Isaac,  IV,  480. 
Reception    Hospital,    Toronto,    IV, 

146. 
Reed,  Dr.  Joseph  Allison,  IV,  482. 
Rees,  Dr.  William,  IV,  584. 
Reformatory,   la..   The,   I,   350;   II, 

391,  423. 
Government,  II,  391. 
Reforms  in  Caring  for  the  Insane, 

I,  223. 
Relay  Sanitarium,  Md.,  II,  577. 
Removals,  Experimental,  I,  256. 
Research  Work  in  Hospitals,  I,  281. 
Retreat,  New  Orleans,  II,  478. 
Retreat  for  the  Insane.    See  Boston 
State  Hospital,  Mass.,  II,  651. 
Reynolds,  Dr.  Albert,  IV,  482. 
Reynolds,  Dr.  Thomas  W.,  IV,  587. 
Rhode  Island,  Care  of  Insane  in,  I, 
140,  285,  314,  2,23 ;  ni,  545- 
Appendix  A,  Report  to  General 

Assembly  1851,  III,  572. 
Census,  I,  412,  413,  418,  419,  420. 
Commitment,   I,  336;   III,   5Si- 

552. 
County   Care,   I,    144;   III,   547, 

et  seq. 
Criminal  Insane,  I,  351. 
Discharge,  I,  342. 
Dix,  Dorothea,  Work  of,  I,  108, 

113- 
Early  and  Colonial  Care,  I,  82- 

83 ;  III,  545-549- 
Government   of   Institutions,   I, 

191 ;  III,  550. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  409. 
State  Care,  III,  550. 
Voluntary  Patients,  I,  344,  346; 

HI,  553. 


INDEX 


639 


Rhode  Island  Asylum  for  the  In- 
sane. See  Butler  Hospital, 
R.  I.,  Ill,  549,  555- 

Rhode  Island  School  for  the  Feeble- 
Minded,  III,  550,  571. 
Government,  III,  550. 

Richard  Gundry  Home,  Md.,  II,  578. 

Richards,  Dr.  Robt.  L.,  Mendocino 
State  Hospital,  Gal.,  II,  40. 

Richardson,  Dr.  Alonzo  B.,  IV,  483. 

Richardson,  Dr.  David  Dorrington, 
IV,  484. 

Riggs  Cottage  Sanitarium,  Md.,  II, 
581. 

Ring  Sanitarium  and  Arlington 
Heights  Health  Resort,  Mass., 

II,  754. 

River  Crest  Sanitarium,  N.  Y.,  Ill, 

276. 
Riverside    Sanitarium,    Wis.,    The, 

III,  865. 

Rochester  State  Hospital,  Minn.,  I, 
,       262>;  II,  838,  854. 
Government,  II,  838-839. 
Staff,  II,  856. 
Rochester  State  Hospital,  N.  Y.,  I, 
141,  159;  III,  115,  130,  199. 
Government,  I,  187. 
Managers  and  Staff,  III,  200. 
Rockwell,  Dr.  William  H.,  IV,  485. 
Rockwood  Asylum.     See  Kingston 

Asylum,  Ont.,  IV,  151. 
Rockwood  Hospital.     See  Kingston 

Asylum,  Ont.,  IV,  147. 
Rodman,  Dr.  James,  IV,  486. 
Rogers,    Dr.   Joseph    Goodwin,   IV, 

486. 
Rohe,  Dr.  George  Henry,  IV,  488. 
Rome      State     Custodial     Asylum, 
N.  Y.,  I,  141 ;  III,  131,  258. 
Government,  I,  187. 
Rosewood    State    Training    School, 
Md.,  II,  516,  573. 
Government,  II,  516-517. 
Superintendents  and   Board   of 
Visitors,  II,  576-577. 


Ross,  Dr.  Donald  L.,  Connecticut 
Colony  for  Epileptics,  II,  129. 

Rowe,  Dr.  J.  T.  W.,  Manhattan 
State  Hospital,  N.  Y.,  Ill,  201. 

Runge,  Dr.  Edward  C,  IV,  489. 

Russell,  Dr.  Ira,  IV,  490. 

Russell,  Dr.  William  L.,  Blooming- 
dale  Hospital,  N.  Y.,  Ill,  133. 


St.  Anne's  Hospital,  P.  Q.,  IV,  289. 

Ste.  Anne's  Hospital  at  Bale  St. 
Paul.  See  St.  Anne's  Hospi- 
tal, P.  Q.,  IV,  290. 

St.  Benedict  Joseph  Asylum,  P.  Q., 
IV,  227. 

St.  Francis  Hospital  (Psychopathic 
Department) ,  Pa.,  I,  264-265 ; 

ni,  536. 

St.   John's  Asylum,   P.   Q.,   I,  455; 

IV,  270. 
St.  Joseph's  Retreat,  Mich.,  I,  317; 

II,  828. 
St.  Julien  Asylum,  P.  Q.,  I,  456;  IV, 

288. 
St.   Lawrence   State   Asylimi.     See 

St.  Lawrence  State  Hospital, 

N.  Y.,  Ill,  120. 
St.  Lawrence  State  Hospital,  N.  Y., 

I,  167,  211 ;  III,  120,  130,  194. 
Government,  I,  187. 
Managers   and   Staff,    III,    197- 

198. 
St.    Louis    County   Insane   Asylum. 

See  City  Sanitarium,  Mo.,  II, 

876,  889. 
St.  Louis  Insane  Asylum.    See  City 

Sanitarium,  Mo.,  II,  88g. 
St.    Michel    de    Beauport    Asylum. 

See  Beauport  Asylum,  P.  Q., 

IV,  256. 
St.  Peter  State  Hospital,  Minn.,  I, 

263;  II,  838,  848. 
Government,  II,  838-839. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  II,  852-853. 
St.    Vincent's    Institution,    Mo.,    I, 

317;  11,896. 


640 


INDEX 


St.  Vincent's  Retreat,  N.  Y.,  I,  317; 

III,  279. 
Salem  County  Almshouse,  N.  J.,  Ill, 

54- 
Sampson,  F.  A.,  State  Hospital  No. 

I,  Mo.,  II,  878. 
Sanborn,  Dr.  Bigelow  T.,  IV,  491. 
Sanford,  Hall,   N.  Y.,  I,  315;  III, 

278. 
San  Lazaro  Hospital,  Manila,  P.  I., 

III,  876. 

Saskatchewan,   Care  of   Insane  in, 

IV,  219,   229. 

Care  of  Insane  Previous  to  Es- 
tablishment of  Provincial  In- 
stitutions, I,  453;  IV,  219. 
Commitment,  I,  427 ;  IV,  225. 
Establishment  of  Provincial  In- 
stitutions, I,  457 ;  IV,  220. 
Saskatchewan   Provincial   Hospital, 

IV,  220. 
Sawyer,   Dr.  John  Woodbury,   IV, 

493- 

Schultz,  Dr.  Solomon  S.,  IV,  493. 

Schwallie,  Dr.  W.  A.,  Care  of  In- 
sane in  Hawaiian  Islands,  III, 
873. 

Scott,  Dr.  J.  Clifford,  Pennsylvania 
Epileptic  Hospital  and  Colony 
Farm,  III,  513. 

Scott,  Dr.  John,  IV,  588. 

Scribner,  Dr.  E.  V.,  Worcester 
State  Hospital,  Mass.,  II,  637. 

Second    Hospital    for    the    Insane, 
W.  Va.,  Ill,  80s,  813 ;  IV,  605. 
Directors  and  Staff,  III,  820. 
Government,  III,  806. 

Second  Minnesota  Hospital  for  the 
Insane.  See  Rochester  State 
Hospital,  Minn.,  II,  838. 

Selkirk  Asylum,  Man.,  IV,  28. 

Semple,  Dr.  John  M.,  Eastern  Hos- 
pital for  the  Insane,  Wash., 
Ill,  796. 

Shanahan,  Dr.  William  T.,  Colony 
for  Epileptics,  N.  Y.,  Ill,  251. 

Shantz,  Dr.  Samuel  E.,  IV,  495. 


Shaw,  Dr.  John  Cargyll,  IV,  496. 

Sheets,  John  C,  Cincinnati  Sani- 
tarium, Ohio,  III,  357. 

Shepherd,  Dr.  A.  F.,  Dayton  State 
Hospital,   Ohio,  III,  312. 

Sheppard  Asylum,  The.  See  Shep- 
pard  and  Enoch  Pratt  Hospi- 
tal, Md.,  II,  ss8. 

Sheppard  and  Enoch  Pratt  Hospi- 
tal, Md.,  I,  246,  316;  II,  558. 
Re-Incorporation,  II,  565-566. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  II,  570. 

Sheppard,  Moses,  IV,  497. 

Sherman,  Dr.  Adin,  Northern  Hos- 
pital for  the  Insane,  Wis.,  Ill, 

845. 
Shew,  Dr.  Abram  Marvin,  IV,  502. 
Shurtleff,  Dr.  George  A.,  IV,  503. 
Sights,   Dr.   H.   P.,  Western   State 

Hospital,  Ky.,  II,  459. 
Simcoe  Hall  Sanitarium,  Ont.,  IV, 

198. 
Singer,    Dr.    H.    D.,    Illinois    State 

Psychopathic     Institute,      II, 

259- 

Sivewright,  Dr.  James  A.,  IV,  588. 

Sleyster,  Dr.  Rock,  Hospital  for 
Criminal  Insane,  Wis.,  Ill, 
848. 

Smith,  Dr.  H.  V.  A.,  Hudson  County 
Hospital  for  the  Insane,  III, 
106. 

Smith,  Dr.  Saml.  E.,  Board  of  Com- 
missioners of  Additional  Hos- 
pitals for  Insane,  II,  339. 
Care  of   Insane  in  Indiana,  II, 

309- 
Eastern    Indiana    Hospital    for 

the  Insane,  II,  358. 
Southeastern   Hospital   for   the 

Insane,  II,  365. 
Smith,  Dr.  T.  R.  H.,  IV,  504. 
Solier,  Dr.  C.  H.,  Wyoming  State 

Hospital  for  the  Insane,  III, 

869. 
Sonoma   State  Home,   Cal.,   II,  24, 

55. 


INDEX 


641 


Government,  II,  24-25. 
Managers  and  Staff,  II,  57,  58. 
South  Carolina,  Care  of  Insane  in, 

I,  91,  95,  163,  265 ;  III,  583. 
Appendix  A,  III,  611. 
Census,  I,  412,  413,  418,  419,  420. 
Commitment,    I,   336;   III,   585. 
Early  and  Colonial  Care,  I,  91 ; 

III,  583-584. 
Government  of   Institutions,   I, 

184,  188;  III,  585. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  409. 
Negro  Insane,  I,  371,  372,  378; 

III,  584-585,  602-603,  606-607. 
South  Carolina  Asylum.    See  State 

Hospital  for  the  Insane,  S.  C, 

HI,  593- 
South  Dakota,   Care  of   Insane  in, 

III,  614. 
Census,  I,  418,  419. 
Commitment,   I,   336;   III,   615. 
Discharge,  I,  342. 
Government   of   Institutions,   I, 

191 ;  III,  614. 
Indian  Insane,  I,  384-385,  386; 

III,  630. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  409. 
South  Dakota  State  Hospital,  III, 

614,  616. 
Government,  III,  614. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  III,  628-629. 
Southard,  Dr.  E.  E.,  Boston  State 

Psychopathic  Hospital,  I,  276. 
Southeastern  Hospital   for  the  In- 
sane, Ind.,  I,  213 ;  II,  365. 
Appendix  A,  II,  375. 
Government,  II,  313-316. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  II,  374-375. 
Southeastern  Ohio  Hospital  for  the 

Insane.      See    Athens     State 

Hospital,  Ohio,  III,  320. 
Southern  California  State  Hospital, 

Cal.,  II,  24,  50. 
Government,  II,  24-25. 
Managers  and  Staff,  II,  53. 
Southern  Indiana  Hospital  for  the 

Insane,   II,  310,  340-344,  345- 


Government,  II,  313-316. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  II,  348. 
Southern     Ohio     Lunatic     Asylum. 
See    Dayton    State   Hospital, 
Ohio,  III,  298,  312. 
Southwestern  Insane  Asylum,  Tex., 
Ill,  648,  660. 
Government,  III,  648. 
Superintendents,  III,  661. 
Southwestern    State   Hospital,   Va., 
Ill,  70s,  772. 
Government,  III,  706. 
Staff    and    Directors,    III,    775- 
776. 
Spalding,  Dr.  H.  O.,  Westborough 
State  Hospital,  Mass.,  II,  718. 
Spencer   State  Hospital.     See  Sec- 
ond Hospital  for  the  Insane, 
W.  Va.,  IV,  605. 
Spring  Grove  State  Hospital,  Md., 
I,  go;  II,  511-515,  518. 
Government,  II,  516-517. 
Management  and  Staff,  II,  531- 

533- 

Springfield   State  Hospital,  Md.,   I, 
211-212;  II,  515-516,  534- 
Government,  II,  516-517. 
Managers    and    Staff,    II,    539-  ' 
540. 

Stabb,  Dr.  Henry  Hunt,  IV,  589. 

Stack,  Dr.  Maurice  J.,  IV,  505. 

State  Almshouse.  See  State  In- 
firmary, Mass.,  II,  674. 

State  Asylum.  See  Ionia  State  Hos- 
pital, Mich.,  II,  808. 

State  Asylum  for  Chronic  Insane. 
See  State  Hospital  for 
Chronic  Insane,  Pa.,  Ill,  489. 

State  Asylum  for  the  Insane  at  Mor- 
ristown.  The.  See  New  Jer- 
sey State  Hospital  at  Morris 
Plains,  The,  III,  68. 

State  Asylum  for  Insane  Criminals. 
See  Bridgewater  State  Hos- 
pital, Mass.,  II,  592,  698. 

State  Care,  I,  163. 

Development  of,  I,  167. 


642 


INDEX 


State   Epileptic   Colony,   Tex.,   Ill, 
648,  661. 
Government,  III,  648. 

State  Farm.  See  Bridgewater  State 
Hospital,  Mass.,  II,  592,  694. 

State  Farm,  R.  I.,  Ill,  567. 

State    Home    for    Feeble-Minded, 
Kans.,  II,  427,  448. 
Government,  II,  428. 

State  Homeopathic  Asylum  for  the 
Insane  at  Middletown.  See 
Middletown  State  Homeop- 
athic Hospital,  N.  Y.,  Ill,  117, 
170. 

State  Hospital.  See  State  Infirmary, 
Mass.,  II,  680. 

State  Hospital,  Raleigh,  N.  C.,  I,  91, 
115;  III,  280,  282. 
Government,  III,  280. 
Staff,  III,  283-284. 

State  Hospital  at  Goldsboro,  N.  C, 

I,  378;  III,  280,  285. 
Government,  III,  280. 
Staff,  III,  287. 

State  Hospital  for  Chronic  Insane, 
Pa.,  The,  III,  385,  489. 
Government,   III,  389-390. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  III,  491-492. 
State  Hospital  for  the  Criminal  In- 
sane, Pa.,  Ill,  385,  500. 
Government,  III,  389-390. 
Trustees     and     Superintendent, 
HI,  503. 
State  Hospital  for  Epileptics,  Kans., 

II,  427,  439. 
Government,  II,  428. 
Staff,  II,  444-445- 
Trustees,  II,  446. 

State   Hospital   for   Inebriates,    la., 

n,  391- 
State    Hospital   for   Insane,    N.    C, 

III,  280,  284. 

State  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  N.  D., 
Ill,  290,  291. 
Government,  III,  290. 
Staff,  III,  293. 


State  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  Dan- 
ville, Pa.,  Ill,  385,  461. 
Government,  III,  389-390. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  III,  469. 
State  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  Nor- 
ristown,  Pa.,  HI,  385,  478, 
Government,  III,  389-390. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  III,  486-488. 
State  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  War- 
ren, Pa.,  I,  246;  III,  385,  470. 
Government,   III,  389-390. 
Officers  and  Staff,  III,  476-477. 
State  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  R.  L, 

in,  550, 552, 553, 563. 

Government,  III,  550,  570. 
Staff,  III,  570. 
State  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  S.  C, 
I,  91,  95,   163,   164,  204,  247, 

314;  HI,  584-585, 587. 

Appendix  A,  III,  611. 
Appendix  B,  Pelagra,  HI,  611. 
Government,  III,  585. 
Officers  and  Staff,  HI,  608-610. 
State  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  Vt., 
Ill,  67Z,  700. 
Government,  III,  673. 
State    Hospital    for    Nervous    Dis- 
eases, Ark.,  II,  14,  16. 
Government,  II,  14,  20. 
Staff,  II,  23. 
Trustees,  II,  17,  20. 
State  Hospital  No.  i.  Mo.,  II,  876, 
878. 
Government,  II,  876. 
Managers  and  Staff,  II,  880. 
State  Hospital  No.  2,  Mo.,  II,  876, 
880. 
Government,  II,  876. 
Managers    and    Staff,    II,    882- 
883. 
State  Hospital  No.  3,  Mo.,  II,  876, 
884. 
Government,  II,  876. 
Managers  and  Staff,  II,  885. 
State  Hospital  No.  4,  Mo.,  II,  876, 


INDEX 


643 


Government,  II,  876. 
Managers  and  Staff,  II,  887. 
State  Infirmary,  Mass.,  II,  591-592, 
674. 
Government,  II,  595-596,  679. 
Staff,  II,  692-693. 
State  Insane  Hospital,  Miss.,  I,  379; 
II,  868,  871. 
Government,  II,  869. 
State  Institution  for  Feeble-Minded, 
Ore.,  Ill,  371,  380. 
Government,  III,  371. 
Officers,  III,  380. 
State  Institution  for  Feeble-Minded, 
Wash.,  Ill,  800. 
Government,  III,  790. 
State  Institution  for  Feeble-Minded 
of  Western  Pennsylvania,  III, 
386,  511- 
Government,   III,  389-390. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  III,  513. 
State    Lunatic    Asylum,    Tex.,    Ill, 
648,  650. 
Government,  III,  648. 
Staff,  III,  657. 
State   Lunatic   Asylum    for    Insane 
Criminals.      See    Matteawan 
State  Hospital,  N.  Y.,  Ill,  242. 
State  Lunatic  Hospital  at  Taunton. 
See  Taunton  State  Hospital, 
Mass.,  II,  591,  657. 
State  Lunatic  Hospital  at  Worces- 
ter.     See    Worcester     State 
Hospital,    Mass.,    II,    585,    et 
seq.,  638. 
State  Lunatic  Hospital,  Pa.,  I,  246, 
253;  HI,  384-385,  427- 
Government,   III,  389-390. 
State   Mental   Hospital,   Utah,   III, 
666,  667. 
Directors    and    Staff,    III,    670- 

671. 
Government,  III,  666. 
State  Park,  S.  C.,  Ill,  608. 
State  Pathological  Institute,  N.  Y., 
I,  260,  283-284;  III,  208. 


State  Psychopathic  Hospital,  Mich., 

I,  259-260;    II,   759,   761-762, 
798,  815. 

Government,  I,  186 ;  II,  763. 
Provisions    for    Admission,    II, 
821-823. 
State  School  and  Home  for  Feeble- 
Minded,  S.  D.,  Ill,  614. 
State     Workhouse.       See     Bridge- 
water  State  Hospital,  Mass., 

II,  592,  694. 

Stearns,  Dr.  Henry  Putnam,  IV,  506. 

Stedman,  Dr.  Charles  Harrison,  IV, 
508. 

Steeves,  Dr.  James  Thomas,  IV,  590. 

Steuart,  Dr.  Richard  Sprigg,  IV, 
508. 

Stick,  Dr.  H.  L.,  Grafton  State  Hos- 
pital, Mass.,  II,  710. 

Stockton    State    Hospital,    Cal.,    II, 
24,  30. 
Government,  II,  31. 

Stokes,  Dr.  William  Hughes,  IV, 
510. 

Stone,  Dr.  Barton  W.,  IV,  512. 

Stone,  Hon.  R.  B.,  State  Hospital 
for  the  Insane,  Pa.,  Ill,  470. 

.Stribling,  Dr.  Francis  T.,  IV,  513. 

Strong,  Dr.  Jamin,  IV,  514. 

Studley,  Dr.  F.  C,  The  Riverside 
Sanitarium,  Wis.,  Ill,  865. 

Syracuse      State      Institution      for 
Feeble-Minded    Children,    N. 
Y.,  Ill,  131,  248. 
Government,  I,  187. 
Superintendents,  III,  249. 

System  of  Care  in  the  Provinces  of 
Canada,  and  Government  and 
Inspection  of  Provincial  In- 
stitutions, I,  458. 


Talcott,  Dr.  Selden  Haines,  IV,  515. 
Taunton  State  Hospital,  Mass.,  I, 
158;  II,  591,  657. 

Government,  II,  595-596. 

Trustees  and  Staff,  II,  662-663. 


644 


INDEX 


Telfer,  Dr.  Walter,  IV,  591. 
Tennessee,    Care   of    Insane   in,    I, 
206,  265 ;  III,  633. 

Census,  I,  412,  413,  418,  420. 

Commitment,   I,  336;    III,  634- 

635- 
Discharge,  I,  342;  III,  633. 
Government  of   Institutions,   I, 

184,  188;  III,  634. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  409. 
Investigation  of  Institutions,  I, 

201-202;  III,  634. 
Negro  Insane,  I,  379,  380;  III, 

639,  645- 
Tennessee  Hospital  for  the  Insane. 

See  Central  Hospital  for  the 

Insane,  Tenn.,  Ill,  640. 
Terfiinger,    Dr.    F.    W.,    Northern 

Hospital  for  the  Insane,  Ind., 

n,  349- 
Terry,   Mrs.  A.   F.,   State  Hospital 

for   Nervous   Diseases,   Ark., 

II,  16. 

Texas,   Care  of  Insane  in,  I,  206; 

III,  648. 
Census,  I,  418,  419. 
Commitment,  I,  335  ;  III,  649. 
Discharge,  I,  342. 
Epileptic,  III,  661. 
Government  of    Institutions,   I, 

184,  188,  192 ;  III,  648. 

Institutional  Population,  I,  409. 

Negro  Insane,  III,  654,  655,  656. 
The  Firs,  Pa.,  Ill,  539. 
The  Orchard,  Pa.,  Ill,  543. 
The  Pines,  N.  Y.,  Ill,  274 
The  Reformatory,   la.,   I,   350;    II, 

391,  423- 
Government,  II,  391. 
The  Retreat,  la.,  II,  426. 
The  Tower  House,  Pa.,  Ill,  544. 
Therese  de  Jesus,  Sister  (Cleo  Phee 

Tetu),  IV,  592. 
Thomas,    Francis    Wolferstan,    IV, 

593. 
Tobey,  Dr.  H.  A.,  IV,  516. 
Todd,  Dr.  Eli,  IV,  516. 


Toledo  State  Hospital,  Ohio,  I,  210- 
211 ;  III,  298,  299,  324 
Government,  III,  299-300. 
Staff,  III,  329. 
Tomlinson,  Dr.  Harry  Ashton,  IV, 

519. 
Topeka   Insane   Asylum.     See   To- 
peka    State    Hospital,    Kans., 

II,  437- 
Topeka  State  Hospital,  ICans.,  I,  192, 
II,  427,  434. 

Government,  II,  428,  436-437. 

Staff,  II,  438. 
Toronto  Asylum  and  its  Branches, 
I,  154,  454;  IV,  I20-I2S,  129. 

Appendix  A,  Laying  of  Founda- 
tion Stone  Provincial  Ltmatic 
Asylum,  Toronto,  IV,  199. 

King  Street  Branch,  IV,  145. 

Maiden  Branch,  I,  153,  454;  IV, 
140-141. 

Mercer   Reformator}-,    IV,    136, 

145- 
Orillia  Branch,  I,  154  454,  455; 

IV,  141. 
Universitj'  Branch,  IV,  140. 
Training  of  Nurses  and  Attendants, 

Chapter  VII,  I,  287. 
Training  School,  First,  Buffalo  State 

Hospital,  I,  301. 
Training    Schools    for   Nurses    and 

the  First   School  in  McLean 

Hospital,  I,  289. 
Training    Schools    for    Nurses   and 

Attendants. 
California,  II,  26. 
Connecticut,  II,  90,  123. 
District  of  Columbia,  II,  148. 
Georgia,  II,  167. 
Illinois,    II,    198,    199,   212,   215, 

22,7,  241,  243,  271,  301-302. 
Iowa,  II,  420. 
Kentucky,  II,  453,  464. 
Maryland,  II,  569. 
Massachusetts,  I,  289;  II,  609- 

610,   614,    660,   662,   671,   682, 

684,  706,  722. 


INDEX 


645 


Michigan,  II,  760,  783,  797,  813. 
Minnesota,  II,  859. 
Missouri,  II,  880,  884. 
New  Hampshire,  III,  41. 
New  Jersey,  III,  71,  77,  81,  90. 
New  York,  I,  301 ;  III,  128,  149, 
167,  172,  184,  190,  192,  195,  196, 
256,  258. 
North  Carolina,  III,  283. 
Ohio,  III,  30s,  2>^^,  ZZ^. 
Oklahoma,  III,  365. 
Ontario,  IV,  161-162,  173,  177. 
Pennsylvania,  III,  420,  451,  466, 

475,  482,  497. 
Prince  Edward  Island,  IV,  217. 
Quebec,  IV,  286,  321. 
West  Virginia,  III,  817. 
Wisconsin,  III,  842,  846-847. 
Traverse  City  State  Hospital,  Mich., 
II,  758,  789. 
Government,  II,  763. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  II,  799-800. 
Treatment,  Individual,  I,  254. 
Treatment,  Medical,  of  the  Insane, 

I,  230. 
Treatment,  Non-Medical,  of  the  In- 
sane, I,  234. 
Tuttle,  Dr.  George  T.,  McLean  Hos- 
pital, Mass.,  II,  599. 
Twohey,   Dr.   John   J.,    Providence 

Retreat,  N,  Y.,  Ill,  275- 
Tyler,  Dr.  John  Eugene,  IV,  520. 

U 

University  Branch  Toronto  Asylum, 

IV,  140. 
University    Hospital,    Psychopathic 

Ward,  Mich.,  II,  761-763. 
Upper  Peninsula  Hospital  for  the 
Insane.     See  Newberry  State 
Hospital,  Mich.,  II,  759. 
Utah,  Care  of  Insane  in,  I,  206;  III, 
666. 
Census,  I,  418,  420. 
Colony  System,  I,  157. 
Commitment,  I,  336;   III,  666- 
6e;. 


Discharge,  I,  343. 

Feeble-Minded,  III,  666. 

Government  of  Institutions,  I, 
190;  111,666. 

Institutional  Population,  I,  410. 
Utica  State  Hospital,  N.  Y.,  I,  95- 
96,  148,  152,  163,  164,  165,  204, 
206,  226,  242-244,  245,  251-252, 
282-283,  314,  323,  349;  III,  114, 
120,  152,  179;  IV,  4. 

Government,  I,  187. 

Officers,  III,  158-159. 

V 

Vallee,  Dr.  Arthur,  IV,  594. 

Van  Anden,  Dr.  Charles  E.,  IV,  521. 

Van    Deusen,    Dr.    Edwin    Holmes, 

IV,  522. 
Van  Nuys,  Dr.  W.  C,  Indiana  Vil- 
lage for  Epileptics,  II,  388. 
Verdun   Hospital.     See    Protestant 
Hospital  for  the  Insane,  Que- 
bec, IV,  293. 
Vermont,  Care  of  Insane  in,  I,  85, 
141,  179,  314;  III,  672. 
Census,  I,  412,  413,  418,  419. 
Colony  System,  III,  691,  693. 
Commitment,   I,   336;    III,   673- 

674. 
Criminal  Insane,  I,  351 ;  III,  702. 
Discharge,  I,  343. 
Government  of   Institutions,   I, 

184,  188,  191 ;  III,  673. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  410. 
Voluntary  Patients,  I,  344,  346. 
Vermont   Asylum    for   the   Insane. 
See  Brattleboro  Retreat,  Vt., 
I,  179;  III,  673,675,698. 
Vermont  State  Hospital  for  the  In- 
sane.   See  State  Hospital  for 
the  Insane,  Vt.,  Ill,  673. 
Virginia,  Care  of  Insane  in,  I,  93- 
94,  95,  163,  179,  183,  206,  248, 

399 ;  III,  703- 

Appendix  A,  Act  for  Support, 
of  Idiots,  etc.,  1769,  III,  783. 


646 


INDEX 


Census,  I,  412,  413,  418,  419,  420. 
Colony  System,  I,  157,  159;  III, 

i^2,  765. 
Commitment,    I,   332,   2)Z^;   III, 

707. 
Criminal  Insane,  I,  3Si ;  HI,  1'^^, 

707,  759,  762,  7^7,  769,  774- 
Discharge,  I,  343. 
Early  and  Colonial  Care,  I,  90- 

91 ;  III,  703-704- 
Epileptic,  III,  762,  777. 
Government  of  Institutions,   I, 

184,  188,  192;  III,  706. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  410. 
Investigation  of  Institutions,  I, 

202;  III,  706. 
Negro  Insane,  I,  27'^-37Z,   277- 

378,   380;    III,   704,-   705,  727- 

728. 
State  Care,  III,  762,. 
Voluntary  Patients,  I,  344,  346. 
Virginia     State    Epileptic    Colony, 

III,  70s,  777- 
Government,  III,  706. 
Voldeng,  Dr.  M.  N.,  Cherokee  State 

Hospital,  la.,  II,  417. 
Voluntary  Patients,   Admission  of, 

I,  344- 

W 

Waddell,  Dr.  John,  IV,  595- 
Walker,   Dr.   Clement  A.,   IV,   523. 
Wallace,  Dr.  D.  R.,  IV,  525. 
Wallace,    Dr.    Geo.    L.,    Wrentham 

State  School,  Mass.,  II,  748. 
Wallace,  Dr.  James  McLaren,  IV, 

596. 
Wanless,  Dr.  John,  IV,  596. 
Ward,  Hon.  J.  K.,  M.  L.  A.,  IV,  597- 
Washington,  Care  of  Insane  in,  I, 
157;  HI,  786. 
Census,  I,  418,  420. 
Colony  System,  I,  157. 
Commitment,   I,  335 ;   III,  791- 

792. 
Criminal  Insane,  I,  351 ;  III,  790- 
Discharge,  I,  343. 
Feeble-Minded,  III,  800. 


Government  of  Institutions,  I, 

191,  192;  III,  789-791. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  410. 
Investigation  of  Institutions,  I, 
202. 
Washington  Asylum  Hospital,  D.  C, 
Psychopathic   Department,    I, 
265. 
Watertown  State  Hospital,  111.,  II, 
179,  273. 
Government,  II,  180. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  II,  279. 
Waukesha  Springs  Sanitarium,  Wis., 

Ill,  866. 
Wayne    County    Almshouse.      See 
Eloise    Hospital,     Mich.,    II, 
825. 
Wayne  County  House.    vS"^^  Eloise 
Infirmary,  Mich.,  II,  759,  825. 
Wayne   County  Poor  House.     See 
Eloise    Hospital,    Mich.,    II, 
756. 
Webb,  Dr.  Joseph  T.,  IV,  526. 
Welch,    Dr.    G.    O.,    Fergus    Falls 
State  Hospital,  Minn.,  II,  856. 
West  Virginia,  Care  of  Insane  in, 
I,  206 ;  III,  803. 
Census,  I,  418,  419. 
Changes  in  Names,  IV,  605. 
Commitment,   I,  336;    III,  808- 

8og. 
Criminal  Insane,  III,  808. 
Discharge,  I,  343;  III,  807. 
Government   of   Institutions,   I, 

191 ;  III,  806-807. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  410. 
Negro  Insane,  I,  379,  380;  III, 

806,  810. 
Training  School,  III,  817. 
West    Virginia   Asylum,    The,    III, 
806,  821 ;  IV,  605. 
Directors    and    Staff,   III,   822- 

823. 
Government,  III,  806-807. 
West  Virginia   Asylum   for   Incur- 
ables.     See    West    Virginia 
Asylum,  The,  III,  806. 


INDEX 


647 


West  Virginia  Hospital  for  the  In- 
sane,   III,    704-705,    803-805, 
809 ;  IV,  605. 
Directors  and  Staff,  III,  811-812. 
Government,  III,  806-807. 
Westborough  Insane  Hospital.    See 
Westborough  State  Hospital, 
Mass.,  II,  718. 
Westborough  State  Hospital,  Mass., 

I,  158,  28s ;  II,  592,  718. 
Government,  II,  595-596. 
Staff,  II,  723-724. 

Western   Hospital  for  the   Insane, 
Tenn.,  I,  379;  III,  633,  646. 
Government,  III,  634. 
Trustees  and  Staff,  III,  647. 
Western   Hospital   for   the   Insane, 
Wash.,  Ill,  789,  792. 
Government,  HI,  790. 
Staff,  III,  795- 
Western     Lunatic     Asylum.       See 
Western  State  Hospital,  Ky., 

II,  459,  464. 

Western  Lunatic  Asylum  of  Vir- 
ginia. See  Western  State 
Hospital,  Va.,  I,  246-247;  III, 
720,  et  seq. 

Western  Pennsylvania  Hospital,  De- 
partment for  the  Insane.  See 
Dixmont  Hospital  for  the  In- 
sane, Pa.,  Ill,  456. 

Western  State  Hospital,  Ky.,  I,  379; 
II,  450,  459- 
Government,  II,  450,  465. 
Staff,  II,  465-466. 

Western  State  Hospital,  Va.,  I,  91, 
95,  205,  246-247,  371 ;  III,  704, 
719. 
Directors  and  Staff,  III,  730-732. 
Government,  HI,  706. 

Western  Washington  Hospital 
Farm.  See  Northern  Hospi- 
tal for  the  Insane,  Wash.,  Ill, 

791,  799- 
Weston  State  Hospital.     See  West 
Virginia  Hospital  for  the  In- 
sane, IV,  605. 


Whipp,  Frank,  Illinois  Colony  for 
Epileptics,  II,  305. 

Whitaker,  Dr.  James  N,  IV,  526. 

Whitby  Hospital,  Ont.,  I,  455;  IV, 
183. 

White,  Dr.  Moses  J.,  Milwaukee 
Hospital  for  Insane,  Wis.,  Ill, 
851. 

White,  Dr.  Samuel,  IV,  527. 

White,  Dr.  W.  A.,  Government  Hos- 
pital for  the  Insane,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.,  II,  144. 

Wilbur,  Dr.  Hervey  Backus,  IV, 
528. 

Wilkie,  Dr.  James  Warren,  IV,  528. 

Wilkins,  Dr.  E.  T.,  IV,  529. 

Willard  Asylum  for  the  Chronic 
Pauper  Insane.  See  Willard 
State  Hospital,  N.  Y.,  HI,  180. 

Willard  Asylum  for  the  Insane,  The. 
See  Willard  State  Hospital, 
N.  Y.,  I,  148;  III,  116-117,  160. 

Willard   State   Hospital,    N.   Y.,   I, 

145,  148-149,  167,  208,  209,  401 ; 

III,  116-117,  126,  130,  160,  180. 

Government,  I,  187. 

Trustees,   Managers   and   Staff, 

III,  163-164. 

Williams,  Dr.  B.  R,  Hospital  for  In- 
sane, Neb.,  Ill,  10. 

Williams,  Dr.  Guy  H.,  Columbus 
State  Hospital,  Ohio,  III,  303. 

Wilmarth,  Dr.  A.  W.,  Wisconsin 
Home  for  Feeble-Minded,  III, 
850. 

Wilson,  James,  IV,  598. 

Wines,  Frederick  Howard,  IV,  531. 

Winslow,  Dr.  Frederic  C,  IV,  534. 

Winterode,  Dr.  R.  P.,  Crownsville 
State  Hospital,  Md.,  II,  541. 

Wisconsin,  Care  of  Insane  in,  I,  206, 
317;  HI,  824. 
Census,  III,  413,  418,  419. 
Commitment,   I,   335;   III,  838- 

839. 
Criminal  Insane,  III,  848. 
Discharge,  I,  343. 


648 


INDEX 


Feeble-Minded,  III,  850. 
Government  of   Institutions,  I, 

190,  191 ;  III,  837. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  410. 
Investigation  of  Institutions,  I, 

202-203;  III,  836-838. 
Private  Care,  I,  317. 
System    of     County     Care,     I, 

142-143,  146,  168;  III,  824. 
Training  Schools,  III,  842,  846- 

847. 
Voluntary  Patients,  I,  344,  346. 
Wisconsin      Home      for      Feeble- 
Minded,  III,  835,  850. 
Government,  III,  837. 
Wisconsin   State   Hospital   for   In- 
sane, III,  824-825,  831-833,  840. 
Government,  III,  837. 
Staff,  III,  844-845. 
Wisconsin  System  of  County  Care, 
The,  I,  142-143,  146,  168;  III, 
824. 
Wise,  Dr.  Peter  M.,  IV,  535. 
Witmer,   Dr.   Abram  Harman,   IV, 

536. 
Wood,  Dr.  H.  Walton,  IV,  537. 
Wood  Lea  Sanitarium,  Pa.,  Ill,  540. 
Woodcroft  Hospital,  Col.,  II,  66. 
Woodward,  Dr.  Samuel  Bayard,  IV, 

538. 
Worcester  State  Asylum.  See  Graf- 
ton State  Hospital,  Mass.,  I, 
158;  II,  592,  715- 
Worcester  State  Hospital,  Mass.,  I, 
94,  141,  165,  204,  230,  284,  290; 
II,  585-591, 592,637;  IV,  42. 

Government,  II,  595-596. 
Staff,  II,  643-644. 


Worcester,    Dr.    William    Leonard, 

IV,  539. 

Workman,  Dr.  Benjamin,  IV,  598. 
Workman,  Dr.  Joseph,  IV,  599. 
Worthington,  Dr.  Joshua  Husband, 

IV,  540. 
Wrentham  State  School,  Mass.,  II, 
593,  748. 
Government,  II,  595-596. 
Staff,  II,  749. 
Wright,  Dr.  Charles  E.,  IV,  541. 
Wyman,  Dr.  Rufus,  IV,  542. 
Wyoming,   Care  of  Insane  in,  III, 
868. 
Census,  I,  418,  420. 
Commitment,  I,  335;  III,  868- 

869. 
Discharge,  I,  343. 
Government  of  Institutions,   I, 

190;  III,  868. 
Institutional  Population,  I,  410. 
Wyoming  State  Hospital  for  the  In- 
sane, III,  868,  869. 
Government,  I,  190;  III,  868. 
Wyoming  State  School  for  Defec- 
tives and  Epileptics,  III,  868. 


Yukon  and  Northwest  Territories, 
Care  of  Insane  in,  I,  453,  457; 
IV,  228. 
Commitment,  I,  427,  444. 


Zeller,  Dr.  George  A.,  Alton  State 
Hospital,  III,  II,  296. 
Peoria  State  Hospital,  111.,  II, 
263. 


INDEX  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 
[The  illustration  faces  the  page  referred  to.] 


Adams,  Dr.  George  S.,  IV,  338. 
Andrews,  Dr.  J.  B.,  IV,  354- 
Arkansas  State  Hospital  for  Nerv- 
ous Diseases,  Infirmary,  II,  20. 
Awl,  Dr.  William  McClay,  I,  12. 

B 

Barksdale,  Dr.  Randolph,  IV,  354. 

Bartlett,  Dr.  C.  K.,  IV,  602. 

Beauport  Asylum,  1877,  IV,  256. 

Bell,  Hugh,  IV,  550. 

Bell,  Dr.  Luther  V,  I,  14. 

Bemis,  Dr.  Merrick,  IV,  354. 

Binghamton  State  Hospital,  Acute 
Hospital,  Fairmount,  III,  190. 

Binghamton  State  Hospital,  Admin- 
istration Building,  III,  188. 

Binghamton  State  Hospital,  Tuber- 
culosis Pavilion,  Edgewood,  III, 
192. 

Bloomingdale  Asylum,  1821,  I,  90. 

Bodington,  Dr.  G.  F.,  IV,  552. 

Brattleboro  Retreat  (Vermont  Asy- 
lum), 1836,  I,  no. 

Brattleboro  Retreat  (Vermont  Asy- 
lum), 1844,  I,  128. 

Brattleboro  Retreat,  Administration 
Building,  III,  692. 

Brigham,  Dr.  Amariah,  I,  16. 

Brockville  Hospital,  General  View, 
IV,  176. 

Buffalo  State  Hospital,  Administra- 
tion Building,  III,  180. 

Buffalo  State  Hospital,  Elmwood 
Building  for  Acute  Cases,  III, 
184. 

Butler  Hospital,  Providence,  R.  I., 
1848,  I,  140. 

Butler,  Dr.  John  S.,  I,  20. 

Buttolph,  Dr.  H.  A.,  IV,  354. 


Central  State  Hospital,  Petersburg, 

Va.,  Front  View,  III,  734. 
Clark,  Dr.  Daniel,  IV,  574. 
Cleaveland,    Dr.    Joseph    Manning, 

IV,  378. 

Cleveland  State  Hospital,  Cottage 
for  Men,  III,  316. 

Cleveland  State  Hospital,  Cottage 
for  Women,  HI,  317. 

Cobourg,    Main    Building,    IV,    180. 

Connecticut  Hospital  for  the  In- 
sane, Building  A,  II,  no. 

Connecticut  Hospital  for  the  In- 
sane, Building  B,  II,  112. 

Craig  Colony,  Looking  Northwest 
from  Schuyler  Infirmary,  III, 
252. 

Cutter,  Dr.  Nehemiah,  I,  24. 

D 

Dayton  State  Hospital,  Ohio,  III, 
312. 

Dent,  Dr.  E.  C,  IV,  390. 

DeWolf,  Dr.  James  R.,  IV,  560. 

Dix,  Dorothea  L.,  IV,  Frontispiece. 

Dixmont  Hospital,  Pa.,  Administra- 
tion Building,  III,  456. 

Dr.  MacDonald's  House,  Falkirk, 
Men,  III,  266. 

Dr.  MacDonald's  House,  Stanleigh, 
Women,  III,  268. 

Dr.  Moody's  Sanitarium,  San  An- 
tonio, Tex.,  Ill,  665. 

Douglas,  Dr.  James,  IV,  564. 

E 

Earle,  Dr.  Pliny,  I,  28. 

Eastern  Indiana  Hospital,  for  the 
Insane,  Administration  Build- 
ing, II,  358. 


650 


INDEX   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


Eastern  Indiana  Hospital  for  the 
Insane,  Medical  Building,  II, 
362. 

Eastern  Lunatic  Asylum,  Williams- 
burg, Va.,  I,  Frontispiece. 

Eastern  Lunatic  Asylum,  Williams- 
burg, Va.,  about  1774,  I,  84. 

Eastman,  Dr.  B.  D.,  IV,  390. 


Facsimile  of  Letter  from  Dr.  John 
M.  Gait  to  Moses  Sheppard,  II, 
560. 

Fafard,  L'Abbe  A.,  IV,  568. 

Field,  Dr.  Matthew  D.,  IV,  394. 

Friends'  Asylum,  1818,  I,  88. 

Friends'  Asylum,   Frankford,    1828, 

I,  94- 
Friends'  Asylum,  1835,  I,  106. 


Gait,  Dr.  John  Minson,  I,  32. 
Georgia  State  Sanitarium,  Milledge- 

ville,  II,  162. 
Government  Hospital,  Washington, 

D.  C,  Administration  Building, 

II,  144. 

Government  Hospital,  Washington, 
D.  C.,  Female  Ward,  II,  150. 

Government  Hospital,  Washington, 
D.  C,  Male  Hospital  Ward,  II, 
148. 

Gowanda  State  Homeopathic  Hos- 
pital,   Administration   Building, 

III,  234. 

Gray,  Dr.  J.  P.,  IV,  390. 

Grey  Nunnery,  Montreal,  IV,  252. 

H 

Hamilton,  Main  Building,  1915,  IV, 

166. 
Hamilton,  Orchard  House,  1915,  IV, 

168. 
Hartford  Retreat,  1824,  I,  92. 
Hetherington,  Dr.  G.  A.,  IV,  570. 
Hooper,  Dr.  P.  O.,  IV,  390. 


Hospital  and  Farm,  Whitby,  Ont., 
Key  Plan,  IV,  186. 

Hospital  for  Insane,  Penetangui- 
shene.  Main  Building,  IV,  182. 

Hospital  for  Insane,  Penetangui- 
shene.  Main  Building  and  Em- 
ployees' Cottages,  IV,  184. 

Hudson  River  State  Hospital,  Ad- 
ministration Building,  III,  165. 

Hudson  River  State  Hospital,  Re- 
ception Building,  III,  168. 

Hudson  River  State  Hospital,  Tu- 
berculosis Cottage,  III,  169. 


John  Hubner  Psychopathic  Hospi- 
tal, Sykesville,  Md.,  II,  534. 

K 

Kankakee  State  Hospital,  II,  222. 
Kankakee   State   Hospital,   General 

Ground  Plan,  II,  234. 
Keene,  Dr.  G.  F.,  IV,  438. 
Kilbourne,  Dr.  E.  A.,  IV,  438. 
Kirkbride,  Dr.  Thomas  Story,  I,  36, 


Langmuir,  J.  W.,  IV,  574. 

London  Asylum,  1877,  IV,  158. 

London  Asylum,  Hospital  Building, 
1913,  IV,  162. 

Longue  Pointe  Asylum,  Architect's 
Design,  IV,  276. 

Longue  Pointe  Asylum,  General 
View  of  Ruins  After  Fire,  IV, 
284. 

Longue  Pointe  Asylum,  St.  Jean  de 
Dieu  Hospital,  Montreal,  IV, 
286. 

Lunatic  Asylum  (New  York  Hos- 
pital)— Ground  Plan  of  Build- 
ing to  Left  of  General  Hospital, 
1,87. 

Mc 

McLean  Asylum  for  the  Insane, 
1844,  II,  602. 


INDEX   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


651 


McLean  Hospital,  Somerville,  1894, 

Appleton  Building  for  Women, 

11,606. 
McLean  Hospital,  Somerville,  1894, 

North  and  East  Buildings,   II, 

610. 
McLean   Hospital,   Waverley,   1916, 

II,   612. 
McLean  Hospital,  Waverley,   1916, 

II,  614. 

M 
Macdonald,  Dr.  Alexander  E.,  IV, 

450. 
Mackieson,  Dr.  John,  IV,  570. 
Manhattan    State    Hospital,    Camp 

for  Tubercular   Male   Patients, 

III,  204. 

Manhattan  State  Hospital,  Camps 
for  Acute  Cases  (Female),  III, 
202. 

Manhattan  State  Hospital,  Kinni- 
cutt  Cottages,  III,  208. 

Map  of  United  States  and  Canada, 

IV,  End  of  Volume. 
Maryland  Hospital  for  the  Insane, 

1832,  I,  96. 
Medfield  State  Hospital,  II,  728. 
Medfield     State    Hospital,     Female 

Nurses'  Home,  II,  732. 
Middletown      State      Homeopathic 

Hospital,    Pavilion   No.   2,   III, 

174- 

Middletown  State      Homeopathic 

Hospital,  Sun  Rooms  and  Main 

Building,  III,  179. 

N 

New  Jersey  State  Hospital,  Morris 
Plains,  Female  Nurses'  Home, 
III,  90. 

New  Jersey  State  Hospital,  Morris 
Plains,  Main  Building,  III,  86. 

New  Jersey  State  Hospital,  Morris 
Plains,  Male  Nurses'  Home, 
III,  92. 

New  York  Hospital  (Lunatic  Asy- 
lum), 1806-1821,  I,  86. 


New   York   State  Lunatic  Asylum, 

about  1850,  I,  152. 
Northampton  State  Hospital,  Mass., 

II,  666. 
Norwich     State     Hospital,     Conn., 

General  View,  II,  116. 
Nova    Scotia   Hospital,    Portion   of 

Main  Building,  IV,  102. 

O 

Oak  Grove,  Flint,  Mich.,  II,  832. 
Orillia,  Main  Building,  Present  Day, 
IV,  190. 


Park,  Dr.  J.  G.,  IV,  470. 

Pennsylvania  Hospital,  Department 
for  Men,  1859,  HI,  4io. 

Pennsylvania  Hospital,  Department 
for  Women,  1841,  III,  402. 

Pennsylvania  Hospital  for  the  In- 
sane, Superintendent's  Resi- 
dence, III,  Frontispiece. 

Perry,  Alfred,  IV,  568. 

Provincial  Lunatic  Asylum,  To- 
ronto, 1850,  North  View,  I,  428. 

Provincial  Lunatic  Asylum,  To- 
ronto, 1850,  South  View,  I,  432. 

Q 

Quebec  General  Hospital  on  Site  of 
Recollet  Monastery,  IV,  246. 

Quebec  Lunatic  Asylum,  1850,  IV, 
238. 

R 

Ray,  Dr.  Isaac,  I,  38. 
Reynolds,  Dr.  T.  W.,  IV,  588. 
Rockwood  Hospital,  Kingston,  Ont., 

1862,  IV,  150. 
Rohe,  Dr.  G.  H.,  IV,  438. 


Ste.  Anne  de  la  Bois,  St.  Paul  Asy- 
lum, IV,  290. 

St.  Benedict  Joseph  Asylum,  IV, 
330. 


652 


INDEX   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


St.  Peter  State  Hospital,  Minn., 
Front  of  Main  Building,  II, 
848. 

St.  Peter  State  Hospital,  Minn., 
Nurses'  Home,  II,  852. 

Sheppard  and  Enoch  Pratt  Hospi- 
tal, General  View,  II,  558. 

Sheppard,  Moses,  IV,  500. 

Sivewright,  Dr.  J.  A.,  IV,  552. 

Springfield  State  Hospital,  Md., 
Patients'  Dining  Room  (Wo- 
men's Group),  II,  538. 

State  Hospital  for  the  Insane, 
Howard,  R.  I.,  Ill,  568. 

State  Psychopathic  Hospital,  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan,  II,  816. 

Stedman,  Dr.  Charles  Harrison,  I, 
42. 

Steeves,  Dr.  J.  T.,  IV,  S7o. 

Stribling,  Dr.  Francis  T.,  I,  44. 


Talcott,  Dr.  Selden  Haines,  IV,  516. 

Taunton  State  Hospital,  1854,  H, 
658. 

Taunton  State  Hospital,  1915,  II, 
660. 

Taunton  State  Hospital,  Nurses' 
Home,  II,  662. 

Tewksbury,  Mass.,  Belcher  Build- 
ing, II,  686. 

Tewksbury,  Mass.,  1902,  Building 
for  Men,  II,  682. 

U 

Utica  State  Hospital,  Graycroft 
Farm  Colony,  III,  158. 

Utica  State  Hospital,  Main  Build- 
ing, III,  154. 


V 

Verdun  Hospital,  Entrance  Lodge, 

IV,  308. 
Verdun    Hospital,     Infirmary,     IV, 

316. 
Verdun    Hospital,    Main    Building, 

IV,  300. 
Verdun     Hospital,     West     House 

(originally      "The      Annex"), 

IV,  324. 

W 

Waddell,  Dr.  John,  IV,  570. 
Wallace,  Dr.  J.  McL,  IV,  588. 
Wanless,  Dr.  John,  IV,  568. 
Westborough  State  Hospital,  Mass., 

Codman    Building     (Psychopa- 
thic Division),  II,  '/22. 
Westborough  State  Hospital,  Mass., 

Talbot  Building   (Psychopathic 

Division),  II,  718. 
Western  Kentucky  Hospital,   Hop- 

kinsville,  II,  460. 
Western  Lunatic  Asylum,  Staunton, 

Va.,  about  i860.  III,  722. 
Western  Virginia  Lunatic  Asylum, 

1838,  I,  120. 
White,  Dr.  Samuel,  I,  46. 
Wines,  Frederick  Howard,  IV,  534. 
Woodstock,   Cottages,   IV,   194. 
Woodward,  Dr.  Samuel  Bayard,  I, 

50. 
Worcester    State    Hospital,    Mass., 

Administration      Building,      II, 

Frontispiece. 
Workman,  Dr.  Joseph,  IV,  600. 


'O     B.c 


3Ita|j  of  tke  Unitjed 
^tatjes  and  Canada 

Showing  THE  location  of  State  Hospi 
n  For  THE  Insane,  A  Feebll  Minded. 
O  Epileptic,  0  Inebriate,  ^  Criminal 
d Psychopathic  Institute,  ■  Colore 
Also  the  method  of  Control  in  ea 

Map  abrani^.o  by  Dss  A.RHerrinu  and  W.R.Dunion. Jr. 


NSANE, 

Insane. 
Statl 


NOT-SHQWN-NORTH-EAST 
OF-MAINE-AREASYLUM-FOR 
THE-INSANE,  ST  JOHNS-NEW 
FOUNDLAND:  NOVA-SCOTIA 
HOSPITAL,  DARTMOUTH.N.S. 
FALTONWOOO-HOSPITAL, 
CHARLOTTETOWN,PRINCE-ED- 
WARO-IS.  PROVINCIAL-HOS- 
PITAL. ST  JOHN.  N.B. 


enlarged  section 


'MASS 


^  ^ 


—  Method  of  Control  — 

C-  Board  or  Control 
C.C- Board  or  Charities  and  CORRELCTions 
T- Trustees, OR  Board  or  Man/^gers 
L.C-  Lunacy  Commission,  State  Hospital 

Commission,  OR  Board  or  Insanity 
C.S.H.-  Commissioner,-  State  Hospitals 


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